Innocence Lost
by Garfield413
Summary: Orphan Lucy Heartfilia was forced into prostitution at a young age. She thought she would never find love. However, one particular fire wizard she meets on the job could change everything, and flip her world upside down. The challenges they face could tear them apart or bring them together. Will their love set her free? NaLu. Language.
1. Prologue

I am Lucy Heartfilia, and this is my story.

My parents were murdered when I was twelve years old. I now work for their murderer, Simon. After he killed them, he claimed me as his property and has been selling my body ever since. If you don't know what that means, you're too innocent to hear this tale, and I suggest that you turn back. My life since then has been miserable and meaningless since then. It's just one guy after another, meaningless experience to meaningless experience. I had always imagined my first time to be magical and loving with a person I was in love with. Simon took all of that away from me. He took my childhood. He took my innocence. He took my pride. He took my dignity. And worst of all, he took my virginity, before I knew what it was or how precious it is. I am 17 now, and I have been in the business for five years now. Five years of having sex with guys I either don't know or don't care about. It makes me feel hollow and empty inside. There is no escaping the life of a prostitute. My "boss" Simon, and men like him, would kill me if I tried to leave. I was his only source of income. I'm apparently a popular choice among the perverted freaks of Magnolia, which makes my situation that much worse. I have a reputation of being a whore, a slut, and a filthy, good-for-nothing piece of trash. Of course, they all have no clue that I was forced into the business. I don't have the luxury of telling them that, or Simon would kill me.

This lifestyle has broken me. I don't even get any of the money I make. Simon provides everything for me. You might say that I'm living in the lap of luxury, but none of it is worth it. It doesn't help my situation that I have full breasts, a flat tummy, and a rather fat ass. I don't even know why that makes me more desirable. There is no escape for me. I want to escape this life of hollow gestures of passion. I want a normal life. I may not have any magic, but I want to find a guy, fall in love, and start a family, just like in the fairy tales.

This is where our story begins.


	2. A Kind Stranger

I wake up, stretching my arms. "Another day, another dollar," I say halfheartedly. I'm in my bedroom in the center of what I like to call a living Hell. Simon runs his business from the Magnolia Hotel, my home for the past five years. I shiver as I remember the things that have gone on in this room, the things that have happened in my bed, in room 413. I hate this place. I hate Simon. I hate my life. I can't do anything about it. It's not as if I'm a wizard or a mage, or have any sort of magical power. There's no way for me to help myself, or change my life. I'm not strong or cunning enough to kill Simon. I also don't want to get arrested for murder, although sometimes it seems to be highly worth it.

"Lucy, be a darling and come over here," a gruff voice calls out from across the hall. "Now."

I groan, looking at the clock. 7 pm. My work day has begun.

* * *

><p>"Now, I have to tell you about your next job, which is tonight." Simon says. "I know this isn't your line of work..."<p>

Isn't my line of work? What exactly is he planning? "Are you comfortable with stripping? Ah, who am I kidding. Of course you are." Stripping? Oh my god, that's almost as bad as what I actually do. Simon and I are definitely going to meet in hell when we die. "So anyway, I got a call from a guild called Fairy Tail."

Fairy Tail? I've heard of it. It's some sort of wizard's guild that's just across town. Why would they want a stripper? "It was a last minute reservation for, you guessed it, a stripper. Now, I know that you're used to... _other things_, but money is money, and you're going to go through with this because I told you to. Are we clear?" He sneered. God, I hate that sneer.

"Yes, sir." I say reluctantly.

"What did I tell you about calling me _sir_?" he growled out menacingly.

"Yes, you _sexy tiger,_ you..." I corrected myself halfheartedly. I hate how he makes me do that. I hate him. I want him to die. But I know I can't do it alone.

"Good," he says, bobbing his head. " You've gotta get there in half an hour. Be there by 7:30 sharp." I nod, and turn towards the door. I start walking, and on my way out, he stops me so he can slap my ass. I blush furiously, and hurry out the door. I go back to my room to get my trench coat, put it on, and walk out the door. I don't have to change because all of the clothes Simon buys me already look like they belong to a stripper anyway, and most of them are already tear-aways. I leave my room and head towards the elevator, forcing myself to look down and avoid eye contact with anyone. I shuffle my feet faster, as the elevator arrived and a mother and daughter head in. I head in after them, and they press the button for the first floor. I'm not looking, but I can feel the mother's eyes staring lasers into the back of my head with hatred. She recognizes me. I slept with her husband, for 10 thousand jewel. I was still in the room when they broke up. Her daughter stares at me angrily. She knows who I am. She knows I'm the reason her parents aren't together anymore.

The elevator dings, and the door opens. I hurry out as fast as I can, head still down. I can't bear it. I stride across the lobby, and shove the door open, leaving. I walk onto the street, realizing something. I have no idea where Fairy Tail is, or how to find it. I guess I have about thirty minutes to figure it out. Simon will kill me if I screw this up. I try asking some people around me where it is, but they either call me a dirty tramp or ignore me. I'm too infamous in this area. After asking five people, the sixth one answers me.

"Like I'd tell you, you filthy whore," she says. "You're a homewrecker. You tear families apart with your sick business. You deserve to die in a hole. You slut, you're probably going to die of AIDS or some other disease, you disease-ridden freak. I bet your parents are ashamed of you, as they should be. You know-"

"My parents are dead." I say through gritted teeth, tears streaming down my face. No matter how many times this happens, it never starts hurting less.

"Well, I'm _so_ sorry for your loss." she sneers. "Now get out of my way, trash." And with that, she walks away.

It doesn't matter where I'm going now. Sobbing, I run in the opposite direction, away from the hateful woman, not looking where I'm going.

"Gah!" Someone yells. I crashed into someone. Woops.

"I'm so sorry," I say, panting. I help the guy up. He has rosy hair, and a jacket with only one sleeve. His eyes are slanted, almost... reptilian. He's kinda cute. Although, in my line of work, cute means nothing. It's only an added bonus.

"It's fine," he says. "Just watch where you're going next time, okay?"

"Ok. Um, do you know where Fairy Tail is? I have a... job to go to, there." I say nervously, rubbing my fingers against the edge of the fabric of my coat nervously. Tears are still drying on my face.

"Yeah, I know where it is." he says. "In fact, I'm going there right now. You could walk with me, if you want." I nod, giving my thanks. It's weird talking to him. Normally, no one wants to be seen with me unless they planned on sleeping with me. I'm surprised that he actually wants to walk with me. I'm not used to acts of kindness, or kindness at all. Just lust. i'm also lucky, because he doesn't seem to recognize me as an infamous prostitute. He must not be from this part of town.

"Say, lady. Are you ok? You look like you've had a rough day," he says as we walk.

"Oh, it's nothing..." I say, wiping the tears from my eyes. "More like a rough life, actually." He seems to be about my age, older by about a year or so.

"Well, don't worry. You have me now!" He laughs, and I chuckle with him. Strange, this is the first time in forever that I've had a normal conversation with a guy that wasn't about to fuck me. At least I know this guy isn't as perverted as the other guys I've met. It's been five years and I know no one in the city, mostly because Simon locks me in my room, and has for five years. "Anyway, the reason I'm going to Fairy Tail is because I'm a wizard that works there. I've also got a bachelor party to go to," he says. Wizard? Guild member? This guy just got interesting. The only other wizard I've ever met was Simon, a death mage, so I know he could kill me if he wanted to. My mom was a Celestial Spirit mage, but I didn't inherit her power. Simon took her keys anyway. I wonder what this guy does.

"So, exactly what's this job you're going on? Are you a magic user?" He asks.

"Uhm..." I say, not wanting to tell him the nature of my job, mainly because I like him and I don't want him to hate me like the rest of the town. This may be my only chance to make a friend before I'm sent back to my prison of a room. "I'd rather not say, but I'm not a magic user. My mother was a Celestial Spirit mage, but I didn't get her power. She died before she could teach me anything, anyway."

"Oh, I'm sorry I asked." He says. "I'm Natsu Dragneel, by the way. Fire mage."

Oh my god. Natsu. Dragneel. _The_ Natsu Dragneel. The infamous fire mage, who burns down half the town regularly. This guy is hella famous. I've heard of him before. Sometimes when clients talk to Simon, I can hear them talking about their favorite or most hated wizards. Most of them claimed that Natsu destroyed something of theirs, or that they could beat him to a pulp if they ever got a chance. I always guessed that the latter was wrong. I may not know much about the outside world, but I do know that this guy is crazy strong, one of the strongest.

"Oh my god, you're Natsu!" I almost shriek.

"Yeah, so what?" He asks, not sure why I'm freaking out. We keep walking and make a left.

"Well, it's just that you're kind of infamous around here. You know, destroying shit." I say.

"Is that all they say about me? Man, I sneeze lava once and these guys are all over my shit..." He pouts. I giggle.

"Good to know," I say. "Well, my name is Lucy Heartfilia." I say hesitantly. Moment of truth. Does he really not know about what I do for a living?

"Nice to meetcha, Luce. Do you mind if I call you Luce?" He says, smiling. _Disaster averted,_ I think. I'm safe. He doesn't know. I can have a friend.

"Nice to meet you too, Natsu. And sure, I don't mind." Ten minutes of knowing each other, and I already have a nickname. It's crazy, but I think I'm beginning to like this guy. As intimidating as the stories of him are, he seems pretty cute, nice, and a little goofy.

Suddenly, he stops. I look, and we're in front of a huge building. Over the double doors, the banner reads:

"_Fairy Tail."_

"Welcome to my place, Luce."

-oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo-

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey guys! Glad you read my story up to here. Honestly, I have no idea what my story should be rated. Are the themes in this story mature enough to be rated T or M? Feel free to message me an answer. I just rated it M to be safe, because of the prostitution. Sadly (for some of you), although there is prostitution, there will be no lemons. Besides the _mention_ of sex and prostitution, these two chapters are the closest this story will ever get to dirty.

Happy reading,

-TacoTurtle


	3. Jellal's Bachelor Party

"Welcome to my place, Luce." Natsu said, a huge grin on his face reaching ear to ear. "Whadaya think?"

"Wow," I breathe as we walk through the door. "It's amazing. How old is this place? Everything looks brand new." It's true, the walls are pure white, and the wooden tables still seemed to shine. Everything seemed crisp an clean.

"That's because it _is_ brand new. We have to rebuild this place regularly, because _someone_ just can't stop sneezing lava everywhere and burning the place down at least once a week." a shirtless guy smirked.

"Hey man, you know I have allergies..." Natsu pouted. "You don't have to be such an ass, droopy-eyes..." he growled.

"Oh yeah, slanty eyes?!" Gray said. "Enough about that. Who's your friend that came in with you? You kept us waiting. It's 7:35, Loke's stripper should be here any minute."

"Her name is Lucy Heartfilia," Natsu replied. Gray's eyebrow raised. "I helped her get here, she's got some sort of job."

"Heartfilia?" Gray asked. "Why does that name sound familiar?"

Just then, an orange haired man in a suit and glasses walked in. He was the epitome of sophistication. He looked eerily familiar. "Well hello, boys. I see the stripper I ordered for Jellal has arrived. I haven't told him about it yet, so act surprised if he asks about it." Oh god. He recognizes me.

"What?" Natsu said. "No, this is _Lucy Heartfilia_, we met earlier across town. She was looking for this place for a job, so I-...Oh."

Gray facepalmed. "Dear god, Natsu. You made friends with the _stripper?_" He sighed exasperatedly.

"Well, if it helps, she's usually a hooker." Loke said. "I'm actually quite familiar with her work, I once paid for her company on a date. It was splendid." He said, a wry smile on his face._ Oh crap, that's why he looks so familiar... _I thought. _Well, at least I've never slept with him_. "And she's a _really_ good kisser. Not the best, but good." he continued.

Well, there goes the last shreds of my dignity.

"Well she seemed nice..." Natsu mumbled. "Is that true, Luce?"

"Well, uh, I'm not sure if I'm that good at kissing, but-" I fumbled awkwardly.

"No, the part about you being a stripper/hooker." Natsu deadpanned.

"...Yes, that's why I'm here. But that wasn't why I was being so nice and friendly to you, it wasn't about the 30,000 jewel. I actually like yo-" I began. Gray did a spit take.

"30,000 jewel?! Loke, are you insane?! Just how good is this stripper?!" Gray yelled, surprised. "That's almost half of my rent!"

"Stripper/hooker." Loke corrected. "And she's the best in the business, at least in Magnolia. That's what everyone says, at least. Something about her acting so innocent that she doesn't want to do her job. Apparently that's what turns most of her clients on."

"That's because I hate my job!" I yell. Everyone in the room turns to look at me. Loke's eyebrow raised, questioningly. "All I want is a normal life," I sob. "I didn't choose to be in this business. I was forced in." That seemed to surprise everyone in the room.

Suddenly, a blue-haired man with a tattoo over his eye walked in. "Loke, someone told me about the stripper. What were you thinking? I told you, just a simple, small party with no strippers and no hookers. I'm getting married to Erza in a few days, and she would kill me if she found out about this."

"Calm down, Jellal. The stripper won't strip anyway because she hates her job, apparently. She's having an emotional breakdown." Gray said, face in his hands.

"Luce, why didn't you tell me why you were going here in the first place?" Natsu said, eyebrows furrowed. I can't stop myself from blushing.

"Because I didn't want you to think less of me like everybody else does." I say, stammering. "You should hear some of the things people say to and about me, you should see all of the mean looks I get on a daily basis. I didn't want to add another person to the list of people who judge and hate me. Besides, I _did_ tell you. I told you I was on a job, which I am."

"Why would I think less of you?" Natsu asked, head tilted to the side. "You said yourself that you hate your job. To tell you the truth, I don't even know what hookers do. It can't be much worse than stripping, can it?"

Gray sighed. "Natsu, not only does it include stripping, but it includes having sex with strangers."

"Oh." Natsu said awkwardly. "Well, this is awkward."

Suddenly, Loke steps forward, a concerned look on his face. "Why haven't you told anyone about all this?"

"Yeah, can't you just quit or something?" Gray says, staring intently.

"That's the problem. My boss's name is Simon, and he's the worst human being on the planet, and he's a death mage. I'm his only source of income. If I try to leave, he will find me and torture me as punishment, then make me go back to work. If I try to quit, he'll just kill me and find someone else. He considers me his personal plaything." I say, shuddering.

"Well, at least he isn't threatening your family." Gray said, trying to put a positive spin on things.

"That's because he already murdered them." I say, fighting back tears. Jellal sighs.

"Loke, not to be an ass or anything, but this is officially the worst bachelor party ever." Jellal said, head in his hands. "Anyway, when did this happen?"

"I was twelve when he murdered them." I said. "He spared me, but only... to use me," I shudder, "As a sex slave."

"When you were twelve?!" Gray exclaimed, bug-eyed. Natsu growled, cracking his knuckles.

"That tears it. If I ever run into that bastard, I'm gonna kill him." Natsu growled menacingly.

"No!" I exclaim. Natsu gives me a weird look. "I mean, I don't want you to get in trouble just for my sake." I say tearfully.

"Fine," he grumbles. "But if I run into him in a dark alley, there's no guarantee that I won't hurt him." I give him a little smile, thankful.

"Anyway, Natsu, there's nothing you can legally do. What he's doing, what he does, technically isn't illegal in Magnolia. You can't even touch him."

"Damn it all," he said, slamming his fist into a table.

"...so, are you going back?" Loke says.

"I have to, or he'll kill me." I say. "But he probably will punish me anyway for not coming back with payment."

"What do you mean, 'without payment'?" Natsu said, tilting his head, confused. "Of course we're going to pay you."

"W-what?" I stammer. "What do you mean? I didn't even do what you paid for. Why would you pay me anything?" Okay, now I'm totally confused.

"Well, we can't let an innocent woman like you get beat up because we wouldn't pay," Loke said, "And it'd be a shame if a pretty little face like yours got beat up." he said in a sultry voice. I can't help but blush. The business may have broken me, but I'd like to think that I'm at least a little like a normal girl. It's surprising that I still feel shy and embarrassed by Loke's flirting, considering my line of work. Oh well.

"No, it's fine. Really. I never even took my jacket off, for Pete's sake." I stammer, not sure why I was rejecting their money. It's not that I want to get beaten later, it's that I feel guilty taking money I never earned.

"Well, how about this," Natsu said. "If you take your jacket off, we'll pay you the full 30,000 jewel. It's only fair," he continued.

Uh oh. I completely forgot that I'm only wearing a lace bra and a thong under my coat. That's the most Simon ever lets me wear to sleep, and I had never changed into my more normal clothes.

"Damn it all," I mutter. "Well, a deal's a deal." I say, slowly peeling the coat off. My breath catches in my throat as the coat hits the floor. I am suddenly aware that all eyes on the room are on me.

"Damn..." Natsu mutters. "Uh, I mean, I like your bra. Wait, no-" he barely manages to stammer out.

"Don't mind Natsu, this is the most he's ever seen of a girl, ever." Gray said, averting his eyes, snorting. Loke takes a glance, eyebrow raised.

"Oh yeah, droopy eyes?! You wanna go there? Huh? Do ya?!" Natsu said, aggravated.

"Not right now, Natsu." Gray sighed "Lucy, you must be pretty special, because Natsu rarely reacts when he sees women naked."

"Uh... what?" I ask sheepishly. Him? What? Huh?

"Yeah, he's pretty well-known around here. Some days women just fling themselves at him." Gray said, still averting his eyes from me out of respect.

"Okay, that's enough. You can put your coat back on." Loke said. I'm grateful that he didn't make me do anything that I wouldn't have wanted to. I pick my coat back up, and instantly put it back on. Most hookers practice the art of taking their clothes off in a hurry, but I prefer the art of putting my clothes back on ASAP. "Wow, that was fast," he said.

"Well, Lucy Heartfilia, here's your 30,000 jewel." Loke said, handing me a medium sized sack full of cold, hard cash, with a smile.

"Thanks, I guess..." I say awkwardly. Natsu is still staring at me, though. His eyes are kind of wide, and I blush, covering my face with my free hand.

"Cut it out, Natsu. You're making her uncomfortable." Gray says, snapping Natsu out of his trance-like state.

"Huh?" Natsu said, confused and unaware of what just transpired.

"Just stop staring at her like that." Gray sighed.

"Thanks," I say.

"No problem." Gray said.

"Well... I guess this is goodbye, then." I say, heading towards the door. Natsu looks like he's about to say something, and his hand is reached out like he's going to call after me, but he is at a loss for words and he says nothing, just standing there in that position. I don't know why, but something deep in my gut wants him to call out to me, to say something. But he doesn't. He doesn't say anything. And I leave the hall without another word, the rest of the guys chiming in with their goodbyes.

For reasons unknown to me, a single tear forms in my eye.

_Why didn't he say goodbye?_


	4. The Mysterious Client

It has been three months since I met Natsu and the others, and a month since I've been let out of my room. Business has been slow, and the few clients who came in preferred to do their business in my room. I groan out of boredom, and I hear Simon sarcastically call out "Save that action for the clients." I go "ugh" out of disgust. I'm bored. Bored, bored, bored, bored, bored. Besides having sex with people, Simon didn't let me do much. I can't have friends over, because Simon won't let me, but also because I literally have no friends. I never had the opportunity to make friends in my line of work. Except for Loke, all of my clientele were perverted pigs that I never wanted to see again. Not much room for friendship.

I hear a knock on my door, and I promptly get out of bed. "Lucy! Get over here," I hear Simon yell on the other side of the door.

"In a minute," I say, quickly putting on a bathrobe. It's a little chilly, and a bra and panties just won't do.

"NOW!" Simon growls. "You've got another job. Get over here before I fling your sorry ass out the window."

Considering the fact that our rooms are on the sixth floor, I decide to hurry and shuffle into Simon's' room. Simon begins talking as I walk through the door.

"Now, I want you to listen carefully." he says. "You're going to go to a house that's just outside the city. Since we operate in Magnolia only, I charged the poor sucker an extra 10,000 jewel." Simon snickered. "Anyway, get there as soon as possible… you know what to do. Here's a map to get you there, your destination is where the X is."

I rush back into my room, remove the bathrobe, and put on my trench coat, putting the map in my pocket. Even though I have no pride or self-esteem left, I like being modest. I don't like showing more than I have to. I hurry into an elevator, and press the button for the first floor. Gladly, I am alone. I feel safer when I'm alone, because that means that there's no one there to judge me. The elevator bell dings, the door opens, and I promptly walk out.

I head out of the hotel, and I hear wolf whistles and cat calls on all sides, mixed with stares of disgust from those who recognize me. I keep my head down and pull out my map. "Where the hell is this place?" I ask myself out loud. "Ah, there it is." It's a little ways off of the northern gate. I'm close.

After about a half hour of walking, I reach the northern gate. I turn the map around in my hands, holding it out in front of me so I can see the whole thing clearly. "Right, so I just turn left… no wait, right. Left. Right. Ugh…" I sigh. I never really was good at reading maps. "Okay, so eenie meenie minie moe…" I end up pointing to the left. "Left it is, then." I turn left, and begin walking down the pathway.

Half an hour later, the sun is high in the sky, and I finally see a small building in the distance. I begin to jog, hoping to get there soon, even though there was never a specified meeting time. I suddenly slow down, realizing just what I would have to do when I got there. I sigh, and begin walking. The house is getting closer. Now I'm close enough to see a sign- I can't read it yet. The letters on it are scrawled in red paint.

Several yards later, I'm in front of the house. I read the sign.

_…_

_…_

_Natsu and Happy. _


	5. Surprise!

"NATSU?!" I yelp. Oh my god. What the hell? Why would _he_ hire me? I thought he was a decent guy, decent enough to not hire hookers. I'm having conflicting feelings about this- I mean, I really like the guy, and I'm glad to see him again, but I never thought we would meet again like _this_.

I hesitate in front of the wooden door, not sure what to do, if I should knock. However, I didn't need to decide because Natsu opened the door, after hearing me yelp earlier. "Yes?" he replied.

"Err, hi Natsu. I, um. Uhh…" I manage to stammer out. Meaningless babbling is all I can go for, for the moment.

"How did you know it was me?" He asked, a confused look plastered onto his face.

"Um…" I looked pointedly at the signpost right next to the door. Natsu notices, and looks at where my eyes are pointed at.

"Oh." he said. "Damn it, Happy! I told you to cover the sign an hour ago, what happened?!"

Suddenly, a small blue cat with- _wings?_ appeared, hovering next to Natsu's head. "Sorry Natsu, I found a really big fish and it distracted me. I ate it!" he said, grinning. Wait, since _when_ could cats _talk_? Things are getting weirder by the minute.

"I-is your cat... _flying?" _I say with disbelief. "And talking?!"

"Yeah, so? Doesn't yours?" he deadpanned.

"Uh, no. I don't own one." I say.

"Well, anyways, Happy isn't a cat. He's an Exceed." Natsu said a matter-of-factly.

"Oh..." I say, not knowing what else to say. Would I look stupid if I asked what an Exceed was? Oh well, I hope it doesn't matter. I move on.

"So... uh. Why am I here?" I ask.

"What?" he asked. This guy may be crazy strong, but he's pretty clueless.

"Uhm…" I said, not sure what to say.

"Oh. That. Err…" he said, as something clicked into place in his head. "Uh, yeah... I just wanted to see you again."

"What?" I say, surprised. "You paid _40,000 jewel_ just to see me again?" Wow. Now _that's_ what you call dedication.

"Yeah. I know it's a lot of money, but… I just had to see you again. I know it's weird, but I just had to." He said seriously. I start to blush. I'm not used to this kind of attention. What's going on here?!

"But... why?" I ask. This isn't getting any less confusing.

"I know we haven't known each other that long, but I guess I was just... worried about you." he said, eyebrows furrowed.

"Why would you be worried about me?" I ask. "We barely know each other."

"Yeah Natsu, do you _liiike_ her?" Happy said, smiling.

"What?" Natsu asked. "No, not like that. I mean, I do like you, but not in that way." he said.

"Why not, Natsu?" Happy asked. I may be imagining this, but I think I can see Natsu beginning to... _blush? _Well this is weird. There is no way in hell that one of the most powerful and well-known wizards in the best guild in town _likes me_. He awkwardly rubs the back of his neck with his hand, not speaking.

"Look, I just couldn't stand the fact that you have to do a job you hate, especially because it is what it is. I just thought that, you know, it'd be nice if you had a day off or something." He replied. Wow. I've gotta say, that's pretty sweet of him.

"Well thanks, I appreciate it, but... You'd pay 40,000 jewel just to hang out with a random complete stranger just to make her feel better?" I say. I had no idea a guy as famous as him could be this nice to a random failure of a prostitute. He definitely is a stand-up guy.

"You're not a random stranger. We're friends, right?" he asked, his head tilted to the side.

"Oh, uh," I blush. "Yeah, I'd like that. I'd like that very much." I say.

"Me too," Natsu said, giving me a little half smile. "Anyway, I just wanted you to have at least one day that you don't have to have meaningless sex with a stranger."

"Well thanks, I guess." I giggle lightly. I haven't giggled in years. "I appreciate it. I really do."

"Does that mean _yooouuu_ want to do it with her?" Happy said, giggling, covering his mouth with his paw.

"What? No!" Natsu yelled. Great, now he looks embarrassed. I'm not sure if I like his cat- or, 'Exceed'. "I just heard from Loke that she's never out of her room, and I thought she'd like a change of scenery, or something like that. And, you know, a break from all the sex." I can't help but giggle at his discomfort.

"I believe you, Natsu." I say with a smile. It's as sincere as sincere gets. God, he's so adorable when he's embarrassed. He's blushing now, and I can't help but giggle. "Again, I really appreciate what you're doing for me."

"N-no problem," Natsu said, "It took me three months to get the money because there haven't been many good jobs out there lately for me to take. I had to take tons of jobs, even more so than usual, but it was worth seeing you again." This time, I'm the one who blushes. There's a bit of a pause in the conversation, so I make my move.

"So..." I say.

"Yeah, so..." he replies tentatively.

"We may be friends, but we barely know each other..." I say airily. I mean, we may or may not be friends, but I barely know the guy.

"So, do you want to fix that?" he said, smiling. "It's only 3:30 pm right now, we've got some time before that Simon bastard wants you back."

"Yeah, I'd like that..." I say, stepping out of the doorway and into his house. I look at his clock; it's 3:34 pm. I have to be back by 8. "I've got a little while."

* * *

><p>"So, what do you want to start with?" Natsu asked, staring into my eyes attentively.<p>

"I don't know. Is there anything you wanted to ask me?" I say nervously. I'm not used to opening up to people.

"Well, I was kinda hoping to ask you a little bit about your life, you know, if it doesn't make you uncomfortable." he said nervously.

"Are you sure? It's not really full of rainbows and sunshine..." I say.

"Yeah, I'm sure." Natsu said seriously, looking at me dead in the eye.

"Well then, you're probably gonna want to send Happy out of the room. You know, for his... well-being." I reply.

"Oh, sure." he said. "Oi, Happy!"

"Aye sir!" Happy said, flying out the window. I'm a little sad to see him go, honestly. He's almost as cute as Natsu. _Gah, what am I thinking?! I can't afford to get too close, to get attached. Simon might take him away from me, _I think. _Nonsense. Natsu's a strong guy. He can handle him,_ I argue with myself.

I don't have time to finish my internal conflict, because Natsu begins to speak.

"So... do you want to start from the beginning?" he asks.

"Sure," I say hesitantly. I've never talked about my past before. Not with anyone. No one ever wanted to know. I'm not even sure how much of it I even remember. It's been a long time since I've walked down memory road.

"Well, let me start from when I was twelve. I barely remember anything from before that, for some reason. I don't know why. It's been a while since I've tried to remember." I say.

"Ok, sure." Natsu said, listening intently.

"This part won't be happy…" I warn him, giving him a chance to turn back. How badly does he want to get to know me?

"I know." He says rather grimly. I sigh, readying myself.

"Well, when I was twelve, Simon murdered my parents. I don't remember much before that, but I've been told that's due to trauma."

"Damn straight," Natsu grumbled, staring intently. He's staring so much that it's kind of weirding me out. Kind of creepy. But, at least I know he isn't a perv.

"You know about how he forced me into being a prostitute for five years, right?" I ask, trembling slightly.

"Yeah..." Natsu said.

"Well, when I was thirteen... Simon..." I pause, unwilling to continue.

"What? What is it? You know you can tell me." Natsu said, urging me onward.

"He... took my virginity by force, and started using me as his own personal plaything." I say under my breath, twiddling my thumbs.

"WHAT?! That bastard..." Natsu yelled. He cares pretty much. more than I expected him to.

"Can we talk about something else now?" I ask, suddenly uncomfortable.

"Uh, okay." Natsu said. "Did you have any childhood friends that you remember?" he asked.

"Yes, I remember one. She was from the second grade, we were like best friends." I say.

"What was her name?" Natsu asked, resting his chin on his palm.

"Levy McGarden."


	6. An Unrequited Love

"Hey, have you seen Natsu anywhere?" Lisanna asked Gray.

"How the hell should I know? I'm not his babysitter." Gray said. "All I know is that he's been acting weird ever since Jellal's bachelor party."

"Oh… thanks anyway, I guess." Lisanna said. "Well, is there anything else I should know?"

"Yeah, sure. He asked Loke how much the rate for his hooker was a few months back. He's been going on twice as many jobs as he usually does ever since." Gray alleged.

"Oh…" Lisanna trailed off. "You don't think that he…?"

"Of course not, he's not that kind of guy. But he did seem to really like her." Gray assured her.

"Oh." It's amazing how much disappointment and heartbreak a human can fit into one word.

"Don't worry, I'm sure it's not that bad. He may not know it, but your feelings for him have been cheered on by the entire guild." Gray said, patting her on the back.

"R-really?" Lisanna asked, blushing furiously.

"Yeah, it was kind of obvious, I mean, you've known each other since you were kids. Everyone thought it would happen eventually. Natsu was just too dense to notice. To be honest, I don't get what you see in the guy. He's an idiot." Gray elaborated.

Lisanna can't help but giggle. With a sigh, she becomes serious again. "Still, I can't help but be a little worried. I mean, what if he likes this girl?" Lisanna said dejectedly. "What if they end up together? What if-"

"Don't worry about it." Cana slurred, chugging down a beer, putting her arm around Gray drunkenly, giggling. "He's known you for much longer. Have some faith in him! Be a dear and tell her, Gray."

Suddenly, Jellal appeared in the guild hall. "I don't know about that. He told me that he went on those jobs to save money to see Lucy again. In fact, today's the day he told me he'd meet her. It's 5 pm right now, so she's probably already at his place."

"W-what?" Lisanna said, surprised. "Why didn't he tell me all of this? We're best friends, he tells me everything! Why would he do this to me?!" Lisanna stuttered, panicking.

"Calm down, Lisanna. They're probably just friends, hanging out. It's most likely nothing serious." Jellal said, trying to comfort her.

"Are you sure?" Lisanna asked, starting to calm down a bit.

"I'm sure." he said.

Lisanna sighed with relief.

"Anyways, can someone get me another barrel of beer?" Cana asked everyone in the room.

"Cana, that was your fifth barrel. I think you've had enough..." Gray said tiredly.

"Come on, Gray... just one last sip. Pretty please?" Cana slurred, pressing her nose against his. Gray slid backwards on the bench, away.

"Just hold on, beer-breath. No means no." Gray said. "You're a little more than tipsy right now."

"Whaddaya mean, sweetie?" Cana asked. "I ain't drunk, if that's what you mean. I've had _seven_ little barrels before, and that was all vodka."

"Uh, 'sweetie'? Just a half hour ago, you tried kissing Freed, and _everyone_ knows that his ass is gay for Laxus. And for your sake, I won't count it as something that actually happened." Gray sighed. "You should probably get some rest. Go to bed or something."

Somewhere in the building, Juvia could be heard growling "Romantic Rival", seething with rage.

"The only way I'm going to bed is if _you_ come with me." Cana smiled wryly.

"Ugh, fine." Gray relented. "But all you're going to do is rest, okay? You're not going to try and undress me again."

"Undress you?" Cana hiccuped. "Gray, you're already sitting in your underwear."

"Gah! What happened to my clothes?!" Gray yelled.

"I think that _both_ of you need a lot of bed rest..." Jellal sighed, along with Lisanna.

"Fine, we're going." Gray said, getting up, and slinging a very drunk Cana over his shoulder. "I'm taking her to her apartment in Fairy Hills, then I'm going home."

"You know, Gray," Lisanna began, "Some people, from the way you guys treat each other, may think that you two are together." she finished with a giggle.

"Don't talk crap, Lisanna. We're just friends. Also, she's not so much drunk as she is as walking bottle of booze right now." Gray breezed, blushing slightly. "We're just close friends, and we've saved each other's lives on missions plenty of times."

"Whadda ya sayin'?" Cana slurred. "Am I not good enough for you? Is that it?" she hiccuped. "Well-_hic_- Imma tell youz somethin- you can take my-_hic_- cards... and shove them up your-"

"Ooookay, say 'bye-bye' Cana." Gray said, walking out the door.

"Bye-bye!" Cana laughed, sloppily saluting, her voice trailing off as she got further and further away.

"Sup, Gray," Natsu said as he brushed past him in the doorway, dragging a mysterious blonde wearing a trench coat behind him.

"Hey Natsu," Gray said, not giving him or his companion a second glance. Ten seconds later, Gray turned a corner and jogged out of sight.

"Hey guys, is Levy here?" Natsu asked.

"No, but I can call her. Why?" Lisanna asked, not seeing the blonde.

"I want her to meet somebody." Natsu said, shoving Lucy gently into sight. Lisanna stared, and something in her mind went _click_. Her heart dropped to her stomach, which started writhing in pain.

"W-who is that?" Lisanna asked, almost not wanting to know the answer.

"Lucy. Lucy Heartfilia." Natsu said, smiling, draping his arm across Lucy's shoulders. Lucy avoided her gaze, looking at the ground, blushing.

"She's his girlllllfriend!" Happy said, suddenly appearing over Natsu's shoulder. Lisanna gulped, holding back tears.

"No, she's not, Happy." Natsu said, blushing slightly. "We're just friends. And Happy, when I said to go outside, this is _not_ what I meant."

"So… you made friends with Jellal's… _hooker?_" Lisanna asked, dumbstruck.

"Don't say it like that," Natsu chided. "She's a person, just like you and me."

"Do you even know what she _does_ for a living?"

"Yes, yes I do." Natsu said firmly. "And frankly, I don't care. Why, do you have a problem with that?"

"N-no, of course not…" Lisanna gasped, biting back a scolding remark. _How could he do this? Why is he doing this? Why is _she_ here? He can't possibly… _Lisanna thought tearfully. _She's obviously just a tramp, a whore. Natsu isn't that kind of guy. She… she must be using him, or something, that good-for-nothing bitch! _

"Anyway, have you seen Levy anywhere?" Natsu asked, not aware of the inner turmoil taking place in Lisanna's head and heart.

"I think she's upstairs with Erza… I'll go check." Lisanna stuttered, trembling.

"I'm coming with you, I've got to talk to Erza about the wedding." Jellal said, starting to walk to the stairs. Lisanna followed in suit, gasping, holding back a flurry of tears. Somehow, though, Natsu remained oblivious to any of this, as he was busy talking to Lucy.

"Oh my god," Lisanna groaned silently. "He's going to pick her, I know it." She mumbles to herself, a tear in her eye, and a tear in her heart.

"Have some faith in him, Lisanna." Jellal said calmly. "You've known each other for years. He's known Lucy for three months, and she wasn't even there for most of it."

"Yeah, but-"

"No buts. You and Natsu have a history. When you were children, you even pretended to be husband and wife, for God's sake. Don't tell me that you aren't meant for each other. You two are best friends, yes?" Jellal chided.

"That's exactly my point," Lisanna said, stopping in the middle of the stairs. Jellal followed in suit, doing the same. "We've always been best friends. That's it. Over the years I've done my best to show him how much I love him, and I've told him several times, but he just doesn't get it. He doesn't know I love him, and in what way. He only loves me as a friend. Whenever I confess my feelings to him, he thinks I'm joking. I don't think we're ever going to be more than friends, and it kills me inside."

"Natsu's the densest person I've ever met, so of course it'll take some time to drill what you're saying through his thick skull. If you really love him, you wouldn't even begin to think of giving up. If your love is real, it can happen." Jellal paused. "Do you love Natsu?"

"I know, and yes, I do love him. No matter how dense he gets, I love him." Lisanna sighed, hanging her head in defeat. "I just… don't know what to do."

"Well, I can't give you any good advice on that subject. Only you know what the right thing to do is." Jellal sighed. "All I can say is that you should keep being his friend. Be there for him, and he's bound to fall in love with you the same way you did for him." Jellal said. "In fact, he might already be in love with you, he's just too stupid to realize it."

Lisanna giggled, wiping a tear from her eye. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Thank you, Jellal."

"No problem." Jellal said, beginning to go up the stairs again. Lisanna did the same.

"You know, I don't know what I'd do without you guys." Lisanna said with a laugh.

"Just remember one thing: Never fling yourself at a guy. It attracts the wrong kind of people, and Natsu doesn't like it, even though he really doesn't know what it means." Jellal finished.

"I know, I know." Lisanna breathed. "You know I'd never do that," she said.

"I know. I'm just making sure." Jellal said. "Just be patient with him, ok?" Jellal said as they reached the top of the staircase.

"Ok," Lisanna said, grinning, tears in her eyes.

And with that, she stepped onto the second floor.

* * *

><p>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<p>

Hey guys! So, I'm glad you made it to my 6th chapter. Thanks for sticking with my story! Now, we're beginning to see the unrequited love of Lisanna, and even though you NaLu fans usually hate her, you've gotta admit- for some of us, this situation is quite familiar. What's worse than being in love with a guy who doesn't love you back? How about being in love with your best friend, who doesn't love you in quite the same way.

Anyway, what I've been planning on doing is to post a list of songs that you can listen to while reading the story. The reason this took so long is because at the beginning, I had no idea what the feel of the story would be. After I typed up a few chapters, I had a few song ideas, but I kept forgetting to actually add it to the story. And so, here it is.

INNOCENCE LOST- PLAYLIST

_My Heart is Broken_- Evanescence  
><em>Going Under-<em> Evanescence  
><em>Sweet Sacrifice-<em> Evanescence  
><em>My Immortal -<em> Evanescence  
><em>Never Too Late-<em> Three Days Grace  
><em>You Can't Win-<em> Kelly Clarkson  
><em>Show Me What I'm Looking For-<em> Carolina Liar  
><em>Who Knew-<em> P!nk  
><em>Nevereverland-<em> Nano

PS- Some of these songs I just like a lot, and I just wanted to share them.


	7. Best Friends Reunited

"Oh my god."

A girl with short blue hair gasped. "L-Lucy?" She gasped again. "Oh my god, is it really you?!"

"Uhm…" I said, unable to find the appropriate words to say.

"Come on, you two. Does this look like the reunion of two best friends, or what?" Natsu laughed. "Anyway, did Lisanna tell you where she was going? She ran out the door pretty fast."

"I think she said that she was going home, she wasn't feeling well." Levy said.

"Oh, I should probably check on her, then." Natsu said.

"I don't know about that, she said that she wanted to be alone." Levy said to Natsu.

"Nonsense, she always makes time for me. We're best friends for a reason." Natsu chuckled.

"Hey, I thought _I _was your best friend." Happy pouted.

"Natsu, one of these days we're gonna have to have a talk about personal boundaries." Levy sighed.

"Fine, I guess I'll just check on her later, I guess." Natsu said. "Now come on, back to you two."

"Oh my god, Lu-chan. How long has it been since we last saw each other? Seven years?" Levy said excitedly. "I can't believe it. How have you been? Oh my god, last I heard, your parents were murdered, but the news reports never said anything about you! You just disappeared off the face of the earth!" Levy almost shrieked.

"Uh, um, I'd ah… prefer not to talk about the past five years, or what I've been doing lately." Lucy muttered.

"Oh, uh, ok. Oh Lu-chan, I'm just so happy to see you! We've never seen each other ever since I moved to this side of Magnolia! I'm so sorry for leaving so abruptly- it's just that ever since I found out I had magic powers, I wanted to learn more and practice, so I joined Fairy Tail.

"It's ok, Levy. I understand, this was and is a big thing for you. I'm actually glad you did it, and I'm proud of you for it. It just comforts me that you weren't around when my parents were killed, so there was no chance of you getting hurt." I left out _and so you didn't have to become a sex slave like I did_, because I thought that now was not the time to bring that up and freak her out.

"Oh, I'm so glad you're here! I heard that you were at Jellal's bachelor party. Was it fun? I heard there was a stripper." Levy said excitedly.

"Levy, she _was_ the stripper." Natsu deadpanned.

"What?" Levy said, shocked. "Lu-chan, what happened? Are you ok? Are you having money problems? Because if so, I know a few good-paying jobs you could take here-"

"Calm down, Levy," I said, grateful for her concern. "I'm not having money problems. It's just that- after my parents were murdered, the murderer found me… and forced me into slavery."

"Oh my god, Lu-chan! Lucy Heartfilia, a victim of _human trafficking?_ I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you, Lu-chan!" Levy screamed, almost sobbing.

"It's ok, Levy. I doubt there was anything you could have done to help," I chuckled dryly. "Anyway, he probably would've taken you too, if you were there. I'm glad he didn't." I smile, genuinely glad that she has been doing well for herself.

"I doubt he would've taken her. Levy is pretty flat-chested." Natsu yawned, not understanding the gravity of the conversation.

"Natsu! Be polite!" I say, unable to restrain a chuckle.

"I don't know why her boyfriend is dating her, actually." Natsu joked.

"Natsu, it's what's on the inside that counts…" I sigh. Some people.

"I know, I know, I was kidding." Natsu replied.

"Anyway, Levy. What's this about you having a boyfriend?" I ask, curious.

"Well, he's not exactly my boyfriend, but his name is Gajeel." Levy said, blushing furiously.

"FYI, he's a shitty singer." Natsu said casually. Levy punched him in the shoulder.

"I won't say anything about that, but if he were here, he'd be beating your ass into the ground." Levy chuckled.

"I seriously doubt that," Natsu said.

"…And why is that?" said Levy. "He's just as good as you are."

"Well, I've beaten him a few times in the past." Natsu said a-matter-of-factly.

"Well, he's gotten stronger since then. I think it's his secret training with Pantherlily that did it. And, to be frank, he's just better than you." Levy said smugly, giggling to herself.

"Well of course _you_ would say that. Anyway, who's Frank and what does he have to do with this?" Natsu questioned.

"Is he always this… _slow_?" I whisper quietly to Levy.

"Uh-huh." said Levy. I giggled like a little schoolgirl.

"Hey, what are you guys laughing about?" Natsu asked.

"Oh, nothing." Levy said. "Just go back to being a bonehead."

"Hey!" Natsu said indignantly.

I can't help but laugh. It's been a long time since I genuinely laughed, or felt happy. At first I was worried about seeing Levy after such a long time apart, considering everything that has happened until now. I thought we would be too different, but honestly, our friendship is like riding a bike. No matter how long it has been, you never forget what it's like, you never forget how it works. I have a lot to thank Natsu for. Up until three months ago, I never thought I'd be able to be happy again. He showed me that I can still be a normal girl, he gave me a taste of what a normal life feels like. And I want more. So, so much more.

I must admit that Natsu is a great guy. I think I'd like to get to know him better. I haven't had a day off in five years, and he just comes along and gives me a paid vacation. He's sweet, he's strong, he's not too bad looking, and he's a little brutally honest. I mean, sure, at times he can seem a little dense, but he's passionate. He has a zest for life that I once had long ago. He's headstrong and dashing. I also must admit that because of Simon, I've developed a phobia of men. I can't handle the thought of falling for one, after all they have done to me. But everyone from Fairy Tail is different. Natsu is different. He's not like the other guys who paid to use me. He _cares_. When we first met, we barely knew each other for nearly a half hour and already he offered to save me from Simon, getting rid of him for good. Natsu is one of the kindest, most generous souls I've ever met.

"Relax, Natsu." I say. "Not everyone thinks you're stupid." I chuckle.

"What?" He said.

"Of course your _girlfriend_ would say that!" Happy said, rolling the 'r' in 'girlfriend'.

"She's not my girlfriend!" Natsu said, blushing.

"Then why was she the only thing you'd ever talk about at home for the past three months?" Happy giggled.

"Really, Natsu?" Levy gasped, smiling ever so slightly.

"No! Well, maybe-" Natsu stuttered.

"You said you loooovvvvvveeeeed her!" Happy said, doubling over in laughter, falling to the floor. "Ouch..."

Levy gasped. "Oh my god, did he?!"

"What? No!" Natsu yelped.

"Then what _did_ you say about my best friend?" Levy inquired.

"I dunno, all I said was that she was the most beautiful woman I've ever see- wait, no-I can explain." Natsu stuttered, his face suddenly turning bright red.

"So you _do _like her!" Happy yelled triumphantly. "I knew it from the second you said you saw her half-naked!" I blush furiously, and Levy looks like she's about to faint.

"Happy," I begin, trembling from embarrassment, "I'd prefer if you'd leave that part out of the conversation." Happy giggled in response, not saying a word.

"Uh, that's... _nice_ and all, but what about Lisanna?" Levy asked Natsu.

"Lisanna? What about her?" Natsu said, confused.

"Well, you know... um. Haven't you told her about this before now?" Levy asked.

"Well, not really... but I'm sure she'll understand." Natsu said. "We're all just friends, after all." he continued. "Anyway, it's not as if Lisanna and I are dating. We're just friends. I'm not really interested in her in that way."

"Oh..." Levy said. "It's just that she-...Never mind." Levy said, dropping the subject before she said too much.

"What?" Natsu asked.

"I-it's nothing." Levy stuttered.

"Seriously, tell me. What's wrong?" Natsu said, frowning.

"It's not my place to say..." Levy told Natsu.

"What, it's not as if Lisanna likes me that way, does she?" Natsu inquired.

"No, you're right. Forget I said anything." Levy said.

"Okay, then.." Natsu said. "Sheesh, sometimes you're pretty weird."

"Says the guy who eats fire…" Levy said sarcastically.

"He eats fire?" I ask, flustered.

"Yeah, I'm a fire dragon slayer. I have the ability to eat fire." Natsu said nonchalantly. "It actually tastes pretty good."

"Oh," I say. "What's a dragon slayer?" I ask. I have no clue what a dragon slayer is, but it sounds pretty interesting.

"Natsu was raised by a dragon," Happy said, chewing on a salmon. I'm vaguely aware of my jaw dropping about three feet.

"What?" I say, unable to comprehend what I just heard.

"His name was Igneel," Natsu said. "He disappeared, though, when I was a kid, but not before he taught me his magic."

"They're called dragon slayers because they use the magic of dragons, and have the power to kill dragons." Happy said.

"Dragons are real?" I ask, confused. I thought dragons were a myth, up until now. It all seems so far-fetched, but for some reason, I trust that Natsu's telling the truth.

"Of course dragons are real." He said. "Why would I make any of this up?" he asked.

"I believe you, I believe you." I say. "I heard rumors about you about that, but the guys I heard talking about it were inebriated, so I didn't know what to believe."

"Rumors? People talk about me?" Natsu said.

"Well, yeah," I say, "You're pretty famous all over Magnolia. They call you the Salamander."

"Really…" Natsu said. "What else do they say about me?" He asked, curious.

"Well to start, they say you're crazy strong…" I begin.

"Oh really?" Natsu said, staring intently into my eyes. For reasons unknown to me, I start blushing slightly.

"…and that you're crazily thick-skulled…" I continue.

"That is true," Levy said, bobbing her head in agreement.

"Hey!" Natsu said indignantly.

"…and that you're crazy in general." I finish.

"Well, I guess I can handle that." Natsu said. "Besides, I'm crazy strong!" He said, bursting into laughter.

"Yeah, they say you're one of the most powerful wizards around." I say.

"Hell yeah I am!" he said, grinning.

"Do you know what's stronger?" Happy asked.

"What?" Levy and I asked at the same time.

"His love for you!" Happy said, bursting out in laughter.

"What the fuck, Happy?!" Natsu exclaimed. For the hundredth time that day, I blushed furiously. "Sure, I like her, but not in that way!"

"Uh... should I go or something?" I ask, still blushing.

"What? No! It's fine." Natsu said.

"Well _this_ isn't uncomfortable at all..." Levy said.

"Well, it beats my day job..." I say.

"Oh crap..." Natsu said.

"What?" I ask tentatively.

"What time do you have to get back again?" Natsu asked me.

"Oh, uh, eight pm." I answer. "Why?"

"Well, it's 7:30, and it'll take a half an hour to get back to the hotel." Natsu said.

"Oh..." I say. "Damn, time went by fast. Levy, I guess I have to go."

"Oh... aw man, I don't want you to go... or go back to that terrible man." Levy said.

"I know, I know... I don't want to go either." I say. "But I have no choice. He'll find me and kill me if I don't."

"Man, that bastard really gets on my nerves..." Natsu said. "If I had my way, he'd be long gone and Lucy would be here with us all the time."

"That's sweet, Natsu!" Levy giggled. "Why do you want to be with her so badly?"

"Because she's family." Natsu said seriously. "She may not have magic, but she belongs here with us. With Fairy Tail."

"Oh, uh, thanks, Natsu..." I say, flustered. "I really appreciate it."

"So, do you want me to walk you home?" Natsu asked.

"No thanks, I got this. I'll be fine, I promise." I reply.

"Seriously, I insist." Natsu said. "I'm taking you home whether you like it or not.

* * *

><p>We walk out the door after saying goodbye to Levy, and Luce looks pretty sad. I think she's thinking about going back to her reality, and it's depressing her. It's pretty cold, and she's shivering, even under her trench coat. Trying to help warm her, I lean closer and wrap my arm around her waist. I magically turn up my internal natural body heat, trying to keep her warm. I feel her pause, hesitate for just a split second, then I feel her lean into me ever so slightly. Her hair smells distinctly like strawberries.<p>

We walk like this for about fifteen minutes. I can feel her body heat radiating against mine, even though mine is considerably stronger. I move my hand up her back, resting it on her shoulder. I twirl a bit of her hair between my fingers. It feels like silken, golden sunbeams. I don't know why, but every time I glance at her, no matter how fleeting, I feel my heartbeat speed up considerably.

Another fifteen minutes later, we're standing at the double doors of the hotel. We got a bunch of weird glances and stares from the people around us, like they couldn't believe we were together.

I remove my arm from her shoulder, and turn to face her. I can't help but stare at her pretty face. Suddenly, everything around me stops moving. All I can see is her. Before my brain can process what I'm doing, I start leaning closer to her.

"N-Natsu... w-what are you doing?" Luce asks, trembling. I don't answer. I don't stop until our foreheads touch, and our lips are an inch or two away from each other.

"Luce..." I whisper.

"N-Natsu?" Luce says, shivering. "What's happening?"

"I don't know..." I say honestly. I put both of my hands on her cheeks, and I hold her face. I pull her lips closer to mine, and I only feel resistance for a split second. I put my mouth on hers, and we kiss.


	8. Just a Kiss

I stand there, stunned, with Natsu's lips on mine. My brain can't process what has just transpired. Five seconds pass, before my entire body goes into full panic mode. _What the fuck is happening?!_ I think to myself. Somehow, though, it feels… right. For whatever reason. But for some reason, it scares me. Fireworks are going off in my head. Suddenly, I pull away.

Natsu strokes my face. "What's wrong?" he asks, a confused tone in his voice. Then, I see his jaw drop as he realizes what he has just done. "Oh… uh…" His face is redder than a tomato, and I'm sure mine is the same. Suddenly, I can't breathe. The world around me starts spinning.

"Uh, I have to go…" I say, turning towards the door, trembling.

"Wait, Luce…" Natsu said, reaching out to me. I walk, no, run to the doors of the hotel. I enter without a word, panting, with Natsu dumbstruck outside. I hear him call out my name, before I enter the elevator. I want to run back to him, but something prevents me. I hyperventilate as the doors of the elevator close. The elevator dings as we reach the sixth floor, where my room is. I run to room 413, my room. I burst through the door, and dive under my pink covers, after ripping off my trench coat. I sit in the fetal position, rocking back and forth rapidly.

"What the hell just happened?" I ask myself. I can't wrap my head around the fact that Natsu just… kissed me. It's weird that him kissing me freaks me out, when I've had sex with dozens of men that I'm less familiar with. I guess it's because after everything I've been through, I just… can't trust men. For some reason, him kissing me…. just felt…. right. And that scares me. After all I've been through, I can't imagine myself being romantically involved with any man. Not after what they've done to me.

But Natsu… Natsu is different. He's one of the most desirable men in Magnolia, and compared to him, I'm a filthy piece of trash. He was nice to me anyway. He's a sweet guy, but that doesn't change the fact that he's… one of them. I really want to be fine with him, I really do, but deep down inside of me… tells me that he, and all other men, are in the same league as Simon.

It's funny that as a child, I always pictured myself as having a picture-perfect future. I imagined myself meeting a guy, falling in love, and starting a family. Even now, that picture keeps getting further and further away. Sure, I still want that future, but now it seems too futile to even try. At the least, I have a phobia of becoming emotionally attached to men.

"I've got to think this through," I say to myself. I know Natsu is a great guy, but I can't fight my instincts. Fear of guys has been burned into my brain. I just can't fight it. Not even for him. Ugh, I bet regular girl's crushes are far less complicated.

Wait… _crushes?_ Do I really have a crush on Natsu? "Oh my god, I'm so confused…" I say out loud, mostly to myself. I look at the clock. It's nine pm. I'm used to sleeping early in the morning, due to the nature of my work, so I decide to stay up a few hours. My subconscious also decides that I will spend the next few hours thinking about Natsu. _Damn you, subconscious._ I think to myself.

Natsu is handsome, he's kind, he's sincere… Why can't I be okay with this? I want more than anything to be able to feel good about this, to be able to have legitimate feelings for him… but my fear is holding me back. He's perfect for me. Actually, let me rephrase that. He's too good for me, and I have no idea what I've done to earn his affection. I've heard that it's impossible for any woman to get to his heart, from women's chatter on the street, and it appears that I have done it.

"Oh my god," I say, realizing something. I ran away from Natsu without saying a word. I left him in a lurch, with no explanation. Oh god, I hope he didn't take that as rejection.

"Ugh," I groan. "I'm never gonna see him again, am I?" I ask myself. "I practically rejected him. He's never going to want to see me again."

The thought of possibly hurting Natsu brings tears to my eyes. The thought of never seeing him again makes me sob. I begin to cry, hiccupping. I lie down, wiping tears from my eyes, getting under the covers. I blink away the tears, closing my eyes, getting ready to sleep. I brush my teeth, go back to bed, and fall into a deep, dreamless sleep.

* * *

><p>I stand there in front of the hotel doors for five minutes, before shaking my head to clear my thoughts. What the hell was I thinking, kissing Luce?! Given her past, I should've known not to do that, to do anything but <em>that<em>. I must've scared her off. I think I've ruined any chance I had with her.

Something else is bothering me, though- when we kissed, when I kissed her, I swear, for a second, I could have sworn that-I felt her kiss me back, if only for a second. I shake my head, turning on my heel, heading back to the guild.

Half an hour later, I'm there. As I enter through the double doors, I scan the room for anyone I know. I see Gray, and start to walk up to him.

"Hey, Gray." I say. "What's up?"

"I had to drag Cana's drunk ass home," Gray said. "I came right back here after a quick nap."

"I've got some news for you, and I'm gonna need some advice, droopy eyes." I began.

"Go ahead, slanty eyes." Gray said with a snort.

"I kissed Luce." I said.

Gray gagged. "What the fuck? You _kissed_ the hooker?! Do you even know what kind of diseases she could have?!"

"Yes, and I don't care about the motherfucking diseases." I retorted.

"Why? Why the fuck would you possibly do that?!" Gray asked.

"I don't know... it just happened." I said.

"It just happened? It _just happened?_ Yeah, and I _accidentally_ fucked Erza. I'm dead right now. It _just happened_." Gray snorted.

"Don't judge me, ok?" I said.

"What the fuck happened?" Gray asked, dumbstruck.

"I don't know, I walked her back to the hotel, and suddenly all I could think about was how pretty she was, and then the next thing I know, I was kissing her. "

"How did she react?" Gray said, listening intently.

"For a second, I could feel her kiss me back, then.. she backed away and ran into the hotel." I said,choking up.

"Dude, are you okay?" Gray asked me.

"Kind of. I just... I'm worried that I ruined everything with her." I say, sitting on a nearby bench. Gray sat next to me.

"I wouldn't think too much of it," Gray said.

"What do you mean by that?" I ask, confused. Didn't she reject me?

"She probably just got spooked. Not used to affectionate gestures. You know what kind of life she's been leading. Of course she's gonna panic if you kiss her. After all she's been through, I wouldn't be surprised if she had some sort of phobia." Gray concluded.

"So what should I do?" I ask, lost. "I've never felt this way before, for anyone. I don't want to lose her." I say seriously. It's true, the truest thing I have ever said. I really haven't ever felt this way before, for anyone or anything.

"You won't lose her, don't worry." Gray said. "Just give her some time to recover."

"Wait, so I haven't ruined this?" I ask.

"Dude, even if we were talking about a normal girl, that would've been a common reaction whether she liked you or not. Some girls just freak out like that."

"So should I see her again?" I question eagerly.

"Sure, maybe in a week or two." Gray said.

"Thanks for the talk, man. I appreciate it."

"No problem." He said.

"Just tell me if you ever need help with Cana." I say, thankful.

"What?" Gray said, his face turning pink. "What about Cana?"

"Dude, don't you remember?" I ask.

"Remember what?" Gray asked, a confused tone in his voice.

"That time at that party, when you got drunk and told me about your feelings for her?" I tried reminding him.

"T-that didn't happen!" Gray yelled, startled.

"If you say so, man." I say. "Good night."

"Good night."


	9. Confessions

It's been two weeks since I last saw Natsu, and I've given up all hope of ever seeing him again.

"Ugh," I say for the fiftieth time. I am so, so, _so_ very bored. I'm glad that I haven't had any work for the past three days, but there is literally nothing else for me to do. Simon told me to masturbate, but I sure as hell won't be doing that. It's seven pm right now, and I have a few hours before bed.

"Lucy, come over here for a second." Simon called from across the hall.

"Yes, you sexy bastard…" I say tiredly, climbing out of bed. I walk across the hall, and enter his room.

"I wanted to talk to you about something…" Simon began.

"Yes, sir?" I say, slightly curious. He never talks to me. He either has sex with me or he forces me to have sex with other people. What the hell could he possibly have to say to me?

"Something has been brought to my attention…" He began. "At night, ever since your job last week…"

"Yes…"

"….you have been moaning a client's name in your sleep. I believe his name… is Natsu." Simon finished.

"W-what?" I say, flustered. Saying- no, _moaning_- his name in my sleep? What? How was I not aware of this?

"Yes, moaning." Simon said. "I'm glad to see you have new interest in your job." Simon said, sneering. "If you enjoy him that much, I may be able to give him a 5,000 jewel discount." He said, jeering at me.

Five thousand jewel discount? Wow, maybe he _does_ care… In case you didn't notice, that was sarcasm. _Totally _makes up for the fact that he practically rapes me every week. Also sarcasm. I'm one of the few rape victims out there who wasn't scarred beyond repair, as far as I know. Some people are ok afterwards and are able to live normal lives, but others are left as hollow shells of their former selves. I'm in the first category. Maybe I'm just lucky.

"Although I wouldn't want to cheapen that sweet, sweet ass of yours." Simon continued, sneering, and smacking me in the ass. I'm used to it, but I still blush profusely. He grabs me by the shoulders and pulls me close, and whispers his into my ear. "I wouldn't want anyone to take advantage of my favorite whore," he said gruffly. I shiver out of fear, and from the alcohol tainting his breath. He always smells like booze and cigars. I try to back away from him, but he roughly pulls me back. "Now, where do you think you're going, sweetheart?" He said, grinning evilly.

"Nowhere without you," I say halfheartedly. I've learned that it's better for my health to play along, or he beats me. He grabs me by the waist, and starts tugging at my panties. I groan in disgust, but he takes it the wrong way. "You like that, don't you?" he said.

Suddenly, there's a knock at the door. "I'm busy," Simon says, trying to unhook my bra unsuccessfully. He's the world's worst manwhore, in many different ways. Five years, and he still doesn't know how to work a bra.

"Hello?" the man at the door said, knocking rapidly.

"I _said _I'm busy." Simon growled to the man, still trying to unhook my bra.

"Do I look like I give a fuck? I'm here to see Lucy." The mystery man said.

"Give me a name, fuckface." Simon growled through gritted teeth, getting frustrated with my bra.

"It's Natsu Dragneel, asshole." Natsu yelled through the door. I have to restrain myself from giggling with glee.

"Natsu!" I say excitedly.

"What? Back already?" Simon said, surprised. His clients usually come once every month, each, most likely to keep their wives and girlfriends from noticing. "Lucy, is this the bastard whose name you keep groaning in your sleep?" he said as he abandoned my bra and opened the door. I blush, knowing that Natsu definitely heard him.

"What?" Natsu asked, caught off balance.

"So, what brings you here, Mr. Dragneel? Want to borrow my pretty little toy again?" he said. I growl indignantly, not liking being referred to as property. I may be a prostitute, but I still have a little dignity left.

"Yeah, something like that." Natsu grunted, staring at me.

"Natsu, keep your eyes _north of the equator._" I hiss, realizing where he was staring.

"Sorry, I didn't realize I was looking there." He said quickly, flustered, blushing. He's really cute when he's embarrassed, so I allow myself to let out a little laugh.

"I must say, you're the only client I've had that Lucy is actually excited to see. I've never seen her this happy." Simon said. "You must be phenomenal in bed," Simon said, smiling seedily. "But not as phenomenal as me!" He said, laughing, slapping his knee because of how _funny_ his little joke was. Natsu and I both blush, partially out of anger and partially out of embarrassment.

"Don't be so modest," he said. "It's not as if you're virgins." From the look on Natsu's face, I'd definitely say he's a virgin. "Anyway, do you have the cash? You can only spend time with her if you have the money, so put your money where your mouth is."

With a straight face, Natsu dumped a sack full of jewel into Simon's waiting hand. He greedily opened up the sack, counting the bills. "Twenty-six, twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty thousand." He counted out loud. "Well, Mr. Dragneel, it was a pleasure doing business with you." Simon said, smiling. "And for making my little broad happy, I'm going to give you a five-thousand jewel discount."

"Uh, thanks, I guess," Natsu said, taking back the five-thousand jewel, sneaking him a suspicious look. "Let's go, Luce."

"Absolutely," I say, trying and failing to contain my mirth. Simon raises his eyebrow at me, taking notice of my glee.

"Luce, huh?" Simon said, smirking. "So your fuck buddy already gave you a nickname, bitch?"

Natsu shoved me behind him, growling, "Don't talk to her like that, you sick fucker." He growled, wrapping his arm protectively around my waist.

"Natsu, it's ok, I'm used to it." I say to him, truthfully. I'm used to being vocally bashed by Simon.

"No, it isn't _fine_." Natsu growled. "Look here, you son of a bitch-"

"_Natsu_, drop it. Now." I say. "I don't want you to get into any unneeded trouble because of me," I begged him, pleadingly.

"Fine," he spat, glaring at Simon, who merely sneered.

"Let's go, Natsu." I say, tugging at his sleeve. "Now…"

"Okay," he sighed. "We're leaving, dipshit."

"Have fun, you kids." He said sarcastically. "Just make sure to bring her back by nine am."

"I got it." Natsu said, dragging me out the door. We walk down the hall to the elevator in an awkward silence. After we enter the elevator, I press the button for the first floor. After a few seconds, I take a breath and speak up.

"…Natsu?" I ask tentatively.

"…Yeah?" Natsu replied awkwardly, seeing what was coming.

"Uh… do we have to talk about last week?" I ask nervously, afraid of what was going to come next.

"Oh… er. Okay." Natsu said, turning to face me, arm still wrapped protectively around my waist. Suddenly, Natsu realized where his arm was and withdrew it awkwardly.

"Why did you kiss me?" I ask seriously. "I mean, we're _friends_, aren't we? I'm more than a bit confused here, Natsu."

"Uh… well you see, I… um…" Natsu said, before mumbling something unintelligible. All I could make out was something about wolverine migration patterns.

"Uh… what was that?" I say. Oh my god, _Natsu Dragneel_ is scrambling for answers. The strongest, bravest guy in Magnolia doesn't know what to say to me. I start twiddling my thumbs, waiting for an answer. "Any day now, Natsu."

"Ok, I'm just going to be honest with you." Natsu said. He took in a quick breath, and continued. "I… kind of, sort of, maybe-"

"Get on with it, Natsu." I giggle, elbowing him lightly on the arm.

Suddenly, the elevator dings as we reach the first floor.

"Damn, it took _that_ long to reach the ground floor?" Natsu asked. "This is the slowest fucking elevator I've ever been on. I had a pet snail that was faster than this."

"Stop stalling, Natsu." I say, eager to hear his answer. The elevator door opens, and we pad out of it, and walk directly through the double doors.

"I'll tell you when we get there." He said, shifting uncomfortably.

"Fine." I say. "But you're telling me as soon as we get there. Where are you taking me, anyway?" I ask.

"Where else?" he said. "Fairy Tail."

* * *

><p>Half an hour of walking later, and we get there. Right before Natsu opens the double doors, I step in his way, stopping him. "We're not going one foot further until you <em>tell <em>me what the hell happened last week," I say, hands on my hips. I stare into his eyes intently, waiting for my much awaited answer.

"Okay, okay," Natsu said. "You got me."

"Hell yeah I do," I say, smirking.

"I... like you, ok?" Natsu said, putting his hands up in defeat.

"Yeah, well I like Levy and you don't see me making out with her." I snort.

"Not what I meant..." Natsu said, facepalming. "I... couldn't help myself."

"What do you mean by that?" I say, confused.

"Well, you're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen..." Natsu said, coughing awkwardly His face turned bright red, as does mine.

"The most... beautiful... what?" I choke out, not believing my ears.

"Well yeah," Natsu continued. "I really like you, Luce." he said. "Anyway, sorry about that. I won't do it again if it upsets you that much." Natsu said, his posture drooping slightly, his shoulders sagging.

"Wait, no!" I yelp. Natsu raises his eyebrow at me. "I wasn't upset, I was just... confused."

"Oh really?" he said, the corner of his mouth twitching upwards. Suddenly, his face turned serious. "Then why did you run away from me?" he asked. I sigh.

"I like you, Natsu. I really do. Maybe a little too much. That's why I ran away." I say, blushing furiously. Natsu's expression went blank as he pondered the meaning of my words.

"Wait..." he said. "You like me back, and that's why you ran away from me?" he asked, a seriously confused tone in his voice.

"I'm... I'm just not ready for a relationship, Natsu. I'm sorry." I say, full of regret. "Make no mistake, I really do like you... It's just that my past is making it hard for me to-"

Natsu raised his hand out. "You don't need to explain to me." He said. "I get it."

I sigh tiredly. "I really do want to, though."

"Me too..." Natsu trailed off, looking away. He reached up and scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

"Maybe one day..." I say hesitantly.

"Yeah, maybe one day..." he replied. "Is there any way I can convince you?" he said.

"I'm not sure..." I say, glancing away. Suddenly the ground seems very interesting I look downwards, staring at my toes. "You could try."

"Well for one thing, you're the most beautiful, breathtaking woman I've ever met." Natsu said.

"Yeah, sure..." I say shyly.

"And even though we didn't really talk much in the short time we've known each other, I get the sense that you're sweet, kind, gentle, nice, and brave." he finished.

"Brave?" I ask. "Brave how?"

"Well considering the fact that you walked over here half naked without even flinching, that says a lot." Natsu coughed into his fist.

"KYAA!" I screech, having not realized that I walked through town wearing only my underwear.

"And you're cute when you're embarrassed. Like for example, right now." Natsu chuckled. "Don't worry," he said. "It looks like you're wearing a swimsuit anyway."

"Are you sure?" I ask, trying to cover myself with my arms and hands.

"Yeah, sure." he said. "Here, have this. It'll help cover everything up. Also, I'm surprised that you haven't frozen to death yet." Natsu said, removing his jacket and handing it to me.

"Thanks, Natsu." I say gratefully, accepting the jacket. I pull it over my shoulders, and put my arms through the sleeves. Well, sleeve. "Why does it only have one sleeve?" I ask, befuddled.

"Oh, it's just how the designer made it." he said. "Sorry about that."

"It's okay. Only my entire right arm is freezing now." I chuckle.

"How about I help with that?" Natsu said, intertwining his arm with mine. His body gives off ten times more heat than mine does. Now I feel all nice and cozy. It's like warming your hands against a fireplace.

"O-oh... o-okay..." I say, my heart rate speeding up tenfold. Suddenly, I realize that Natsu is completely shirtless. "Aren't you freezing?" I ask. "Why don't you wear a shirt under the jacket?"

"Are you kidding?" Natsu laughed. "I'm a fire mage. I'm never cold." I laugh along with him.

"Ok, if you say so, flame-for-brains." I chuckle.

"Hey, how didja know Gray's nickname for me?" Natsu joked. "Speaking of Gray, are you ready to go inside and meet everyone?" he asked.

"Sure." I say, smiling. I gaze into his eyes, and they seem to be smiling. His eyes are enrapturing. Just like the rest of him.

And after staring into each other's eyes for a solid thirty seconds, he opens the door and guides me inside.

* * *

><p>AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey guys! I'm back again, and I'd like to thank my friend AdventurerOver9000 for being there for me and lending her support for my story. I'd advise you to check out her stories! They're doing well on wattpad, but on here she's not having much luck. All I'm asking is to give her a chance-her stories aren't half bad.<p>

I would also like to apologize for the inconsistency of quality in this chapter- I'm not good at writing filler content, and I'm just overly excited to get to the main event. (No spoilers, sorry!) I promise that when we get to the meat of the story, it's going to be much better. I hope.

Thanks again for reading! I hope that you had a fantastic week and a fantastic time reading my story. I must warn you though that in a few chapters, this story is going to get a bit darker.

MINOR SPOILER ALERT: In a few chapters, the story will contain themes of suicide.

END SPOILER-

Anyway, thanks again for reading my story, whether you left a review or not. And thanks to AdventurerOver9000 for always believing in me. You're a great friend.


	10. A Heart Broken, a Decision Made

Lisanna let out a sob as she backed away from the door. In a matter of seconds, her entire world started falling apart. "Oh my god…" she choked out. Her world came crashing down all around her. Natsu was falling in love with another woman, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. The man she loved, the man she'd _give her life for_, was drifting away from her faster than she was comfortable with.

After about fifteen seconds, she couldn't handle it anymore. She burst into tears, not able to handle this new information. She sobbed and sobbed, writhing in a pit despair. It felt as if someone had reached into her chest cavity and ripped her heart out.

"Natsu…" she whispered, tears streaming down her face. He had said that Lucy was the most beautiful woman he had ever met. Lisanna remembered, once upon a time, when she and she alone had held that title. Now, she was heartbroken, slowly losing the love of her life.

Her heart was being crushed, and she had no idea what to do about it. She was conflicted- Lucy may be a prostitute, but she seemed like a genuinely nice person, especially after Natsu told her about her tragic backstory. He had told everyone in the guild, and they all felt sorry for her, although him liking her came as a bit of a surprise.

For years it had been clear to everyone that Lisanna and Natsu would end up together, get married, and have children. Now, her picture-perfect future was being smashed to tiny, bite-sized pieces.

She covered her face with her hands, trying to at least hide her tears and her misery, but to no avail. She had tried so hard to get to Natsu, but nothing worked. Now, this pretty little blonde waltzes in, and instantly gains his affection. Jealous does not even begin to describe the agony Lisanna was feeling.

Suddenly, the door opened. "Hey Lis, what's goi-" Natsu stopped, seeing the tears on Lisanna's face. "What happened? What's wrong?" he asked, concerned, tilting his head in confusion.

"N-nothing…" Lisanna said softly, clenching her fists in frustration.

"Are you sure?" Natsu said, letting go of Lucy's hand, reaching for Lisanna.

"Don't touch me," Lisanna choked out, sobbing. And with that, she ran out the door.

"Lis, wait!" Natsu yelled after her. "Lisanna!" Natsu yelled. "Well, crap." He sighed.

"Is she okay?" Lucy asked Natsu.

"I'm not sure," he replied, scratching his head in confusion. "I have no idea what's gotten into her, honestly."

"Is she going to be alright?" Lucy asked.

"Don't worry, Luce. I know Lisanna, she's gonna be fine. She probably just needs some time alone." Natsu replied.

"You're sure?" Lucy said. She was worried about Lisanna. She knew that she was Natsu's best friend, and a friend of Natsu's was a friend of hers.

"I'm sure." Natsu said. "Now, let's introduce you to the rest of the guild."

* * *

><p>"This is Erza," Natsu said, motioning to a scarlet-haired woman in armor. "She's one of the strongest women in Fairy Tail, besides me and Lisanna's sister Mirajane."<p>

"You're a woman?" Lucy asked, giggling.

"What? No!" Natsu exclaimed. "I meant people in general, not just women."

"Don't flatter yourself, Natsu." Erza said, smiling. She ruffled his hair.

"Hey, stop that! We're not kids anymore, Erza!" Natsu grumbled.

"I beg to differ- nothing has changed, Natsu. You still have never beaten me, not even once, ever since we were children." Erza said, laughing. Then, she turned to Lucy. "So, I've heard that Natsu has seen you naked. Let's talk about that."

"KYAH!" Lucy shrieked.

"In my defense, she was wearing underwear, so she wasn't completely naked." Natsu said.

"Out of all the things you could've said, you chose _that?_" Lucy said indignantly. "Can we not talk about that?"

"Sorry," Natsu said. "Erza is really strong, but she can be a bit socially awkward."

"It's true." Erza said. "I'm not very good at socializing. I always seem to say all the wrong things."

"I can tell," Lucy said, giggling. Erza quickly joined in.

"Yeah, I have no idea why Jellal is marrying her-" Natsu said, as Erza punched him in the face with an armored fist. He flew backwards several feet, crashing into a wall. "_Oww..._" he groaned

"None of your business!" Erza growled. Then, she turned to Lucy, who shivered in fear. "So, how was Jellal's bachelor party?"

"I-it was okay," Lucy said, confused. _Wow_, she thought. _That was a pretty big mood swing_. she thought.

"Wait, so I get in trouble for one stupid comment, and Jellal's off the hook for hiring a hooker?" Natsu said, upset.

"I know it was Loke who hired her," Erza said, casually swinging her huge sword around. "I took care of him already."

"Really? What did you do?" Lucy asked.

"Natsu, have you seen him lately?" Erza inquired.

"No... why?" Natsu asked nervously.

"That's because he's in the hospital." Erza said, deadpanning it.

"What?" Lucy and Natsu said at the same time.

"Kidding, he's just on vacation." Erza said, laughing. "You two are so gullible."

"Yeah, heh..." Lucy and Natsu laughed nervously.

"Well, Lucy... welcome to the family." Erza said, hugging the both of them.

"T-thanks, I guess." Lucy said, smiling. It's been a while since she had friends or family. "Did you already get married?" Lucy asked, noticing the wedding band on her finger.

"Yeah, isn't it great?" Erza said. "One day, he's possessed by someone posing as the god of death and tries to kill you repeatedly, and the next, you're walking down the aisle." She said, laughing.

"Uh... I don't think I'm even going to ask." Lucy said, laughing nervously.

"Yeah, it's best if you don't ask." Natsu whispered into her ear, so Erza couldn't hear. "Well, we're off to meet a few other people." Natsu said out loud. "We're going to skip Jellal, though, since they've already met."

"Yeah, Jellal isn't actually here at the moment. Neither is Gray, or Loke. They're all helping him move our things into the new house." Erza said.

"Okay, thanks for telling us." Natsu said, turning around and walking away.

"Bye Erza! Nice meeting you!" Lucy yelled, as she chased after Natsu.

As soon as she was out of earshot, Erza said, "Well she's nice," humming to herself. "I wonder what Lisanna will do about this."

* * *

><p>"Mira!" Natsu called out, running to a pretty white-haired woman with a noticeably curvaceous figure.<p>

"Oh, hello Natsu." Mirajane said, clearing a table. "Who's your friend?"

"Lucy Heartfilia." Natsu said. Mirajane immediately stopped what she was doing, assessing the situation.

"Lucy?" Mira said.

"Hi," Lucy said shyly.

"Oh, no need to be shy!" Mirajane said gleefully. "I can't believe I finally get to meet you! You're all that Natsu ever talks about, and a friend of my sister's best friend is a friend of mine." Mira said, walking up and hugging Lucy. Before she released her, however, she whispered into her ear- "But if I find out that my sister got hurt because of you, you're gonna be sorry." she said, letting go of Lucy.

"Uh... what?" Lucy said, confused. "Why would I hurt Lisanna? I barely even know who she is."

"What the fuck, Mira?!" Natsu said, upset. "I have super hearing, remember? Dragon Slayer? _ Enhanced senses_?"

"Oh, so neither of you know?" Mirajane said, suddenly realizing something. Then, she smiled. "Ok. Then just forget what I said for now, okay? I really hope we can become friends in the near future," she said, pretending that nothing had just happened. "Oh, and my brother Elfman isn't here, but I'm sure he's gonna want to meet you."

"Thanks, I'll try to make that happen." Lucy said, smiling. On the inside, though, she was severely confused.

"Bye, Mira!" Natsu said, moving on to the next person to meet.

"Bye," Lucy said, still confused. She whispered to Natsu, "What the heck was that about?"

"I have no idea, but I'm sure you'll be fine." Natsu said. "Don't worry about it."

"If you say so," Lucy sighed.

"Now, let's go meet Cana." Natsu said cheerfully.

* * *

><p>Natsu and Lucy walked over to Cana's table, where she was drinking enough beer to fill five grown men.<p>

"Ah, hell-o, Natsu, Lucy!" Cana said in a slurred, singsong voice. "Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Dragfilia!"

"Um..." Lucy said, hesitant to respond.

"So, howya doin?" Cana asked, chugging down another mug of beer.

"First of all, we're not married." Natsu said, facepalming. "Secondly, even if we were married, we wouldn't combine our names like that."

"Right, so Mr. and Mrs. Heartneel?" Cana said, hiccuping.

"Well, now that I think of it, Dragfilia sounds much better in comparison." Natsu said, resting his chin on his hand, pondering.

"Natsu!" Lucy said indignantly.

"Sorry, sorry." Natsu said. "This is _Lucy Heartfilia_."

"Heart-flinga?"

"Heartfilia." Natsu corrected.

"Herbert Jackson?" Cana tried again.

"H-E-A-R-T-F-I-L-I-A." Natsu spelled it out for her.

"Heartfilia?" Cana guessed for the last time, in a drunken haze.

"Yeah. How many barrels of beer have you drank? And where the hell did you get 'Herbert Jackson?'" Natsu said incredulously.

"Three mediums. And I actually heard you say Ben Dover, because they sound alike. Also, Drew Peacock." Cana slurred, laughing.

"Those sound nothing alike..." Natsu mumbled.

"Is she always this drunk?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah, pretty much most of the time." Natsu replied. "She's a really nice person when she's sober."

"Nice to meet you, Lucy Heartfilia." Cana said, hiccuping. "Anyway, when's the wedding?"

"What?" Natsu and Lucy said at the same time.

"Gray told me that you lo-" Cana said, with Natsu cutting her off.

"Bye Cana!" Natsu said quickly, tugging on Lucy's arm as he left, dragging her with him.

"Byeeeeeeee!" Cana said, swinging her arm in the air, waving them away.

...

...

"Okay, I think that's enough for meeting people for today." Natsu said.

"Yeah, me too." I say awkwardly.

"Do you want me to take you home?" Natsu asked.

"Sure," I say. "You're gonna have to find a way to keep me warm on the way there, though."

"Oh, I can take care of that," Natsu said, smiling mischievously.

* * *

><p>"Natsu," I say. "When I said to keep me warm, I didn't mean that you should take off your clothes and make me put them on."<p>

"Oh, okay." Natsu said, putting his pants back on.

"Thank god you were wearing underwear..." I sigh.

"Just wear the jacket, okay?" Natsu said, holding me close, hugging me. I blush slightly. "Come on, we're almost there." He said.

A few minutes later, we're standing in front of the double doors of the hotel.

"So... I guess this is goodbye, then." Natsu said, trailing off.

"Yeah, I guess so..." I say.

"Well, goodbye," he said, although afterwards he just stood in that spot, not leaving.

"Uh... is there any reason that you're not leaving?" I say.

"...I honestly don't know." Natsu said, looking into my eyes. I can see a faint longing in his. Suddenly, I make up my mind. I grab him by the shoulders. "Luce, what are you-"

I kiss him on the lips. At first, I feel resistance. Then, I feel him slowly melting into the kiss. Next thing we know, our hands are grabbing at each other's hair. We stand like that for a good five minutes, before I pull away.

Natsu just stands there, shocked. "Well, goodbye..." I say, running into the hotel, after handing him his jacket. As I get into the elevator, I can't help but smile my ass off.

Today was a good day.

* * *

><p>AUTHOR'S NOTE: What's up with all the people favoriting my story but not following it? lol.<p> 


	11. The First Date

It's been a week since I kissed Natsu, and I've been waiting impatiently for his return. He's the first guy I've ever had feelings for, and he'll hopefully be the last. Hopefully, I haven't made a huge mistake by opening up, and hopefully this will end well for me, without Natsu turning into Simon, which I highly doubt will happen. I'm finally facing my fears. My fear of connection, and my fear of men. My fear of attachment.

I hum quietly to myself in my room. I glance at the clock. It's seven pm. Suddenly, I hear Simon calling me from his room across the hall.

"Lucy, get over here. Your boyfriend is here." He called out. I quickly jump out of bed, open the door, and run across the hall. I open Simon's door, and standing there is Natsu.

"Natsu!" I cry out in elation. I run up to him and hug him hard, not caring what Simon thinks or what he'll say.

"Hey Luce," Natsu said, grinning goofily. "Guess what? Our buddy _Simon _here is giving me a permanent fifteen thousand jewel discount for being a regular customer!" He said 'buddy' sarcastically, but Simon doesn't appear to notice.

"Oh my god, really?" I ask, dumbstruck. Simon is usually a cheapskate. What made him do this?

"You better believe it, bitch." Simon said, laughing. I see Natsu visually flinch at the name-calling, but I squeeze his hand, telling him to drop it. He looks at me, and his eyes say '_Really?'_ I nod in response.

"Well, I've paid you my fifteen grand. Can we go now?" Natsu said.

"Hold on just a second, we need to talk." Simon said.

"Oh no," Natsu said sarcastically. "Are you breaking up with us?" I can't help but giggle. A lot. I laugh, but it comes out as a snort.

"No, but nice try, smartass." Simon scoffed. "Don't think I haven't noticed that thing between yourself and my Lucy." I flinch at being referred to as his property, but I manage to hold my anger in.

"So what?" Natsu growled, clutching my side protectively.

"Just let it be known- if you damage her in any way that isn't in the form of a hickey, you're going to regret it. I care about my Lucy, and people don't pay to see scars." Simon said, which means 'don't damage my property, it'll damage my profits.'

"Don't worry," Natsu said. "I doubt you care more about Luce than I do."

"We'll see about that, Salamander." Simon replied. Natsu narrowed his eyes.

"Where did you hear that title?" Natsu said suspiciously.

"Oh, I do background checks on all of my clients, to make sure little Lucy is in good hands." Simon said. "Now, go have fun, you two." Simon said with a sneer.

We walk out together, holding hands, to the elevator, shutting the door behind us.

"Man, is your shithead of a boss creepy." Natsu said, pretending to gag.

"No kidding. He's like, fifteen years older than me." I say, sighing as we enter the elevator.

"I can't believe you're banging that guy," Natsu said incredulously.

"Him and half of Magnolia," I sigh. "Who do you rather I bang, you?" I say jokingly.

"Sure," Natsu said absentmindedly, not realizing what he just said. I stop immediately, looking at him.

"…What?" I ask, dumbfounded. Natsu snapped out of his daze, realizing what had just taken place.

"Uh… I meant. Uh." Natsu stuttered. I secretly enjoy his discomfort, laughing. "Er, not if you don't want to. Wait, that's creepy. Let me try again-"

"It's okay, Natsu." I say, giggling. "You're acting like a real virgin right now."

"How did you know?" Natsu asked, surprised.

"You just told me." I laugh, as the elevator door opens. We start to walk across the lobby.

"Damn it all. Is it that obvious?" he asked.

"Yeah, pretty much." I say.

"Wow…" he said. We walk out of the hotel, and head down the street.

"Where are we going?" I ask Natsu, curious as to where we were heading.

"My place." Natsu said.

* * *

><p>"So, here we are..." I say, trailing off.<p>

"Yeah, I guess." Natsu said, scratching the back of his head.

"So..." I say. "We should probably talk about us." I say, almost tripping over some of his things on my way to a chair. _Man, is his house messy,_ I think to myself as I sit down.

"Yes, we should." Natsu said, although he sounds like he's guessing. He sounds nervous. He starts rubbing his palms together. "So... where do you want to start?" he asked.

"Well for one thing, how do you actually feel about me?" I ask, arms and legs crossed. I wait patiently for an answer as Natsu ponders what to say.

"That's not a fair question, it's too hard." he replied.

"No, 'How many guys have I slept with' is a hard question." I say sarcastically. "Just answer my question, and I promise you get to ask one."

"Fine. I like you, okay?" Natsu said.

"And?" I press forward.

"I just- I don't know how to describe it. What I feel when I'm with you? I don't have any words for that. Sue me." Natsu burst out, blushing. I can't help but blush, too.

"So you're not doing this just because you pity me?" I ask. Okay, I admit. I'm more than a tad bit insecure.

"Are you fucking kidding me? No! Of course not." he said. "Now it's my turn to ask the questions."

"Okay," I say reluctantly. I have a very, very bad feeling about this. Suddenly, Natsu leans in closer, squinting his slanted, almost reptilian eyes. I gulp, anticipating his question. For some reason, it feels like I'm being interrogated.

"You said that you weren't ready for anything." Natsu stated.

"...Yes." I reply, gulping again. I brace myself out of instinct, just in case he hits me like Simon would in this situation.

"Then why the hell did you kiss me?" Natsu asked, tilting his head to the side in confusion. "And why are you cringing? Do you actually think I'm gonna hurt you? Because you should know that that's the last thing I would ever dream of doing."

"Sorry," I apologize. "I'm just so used to being beaten that I kind of expect it."

"Man, I'm going to kill that guy..." Natsu growled.

"No!" I yelp.

"What?" Natsu looks at me quizzically. "Are you fucking mental?"

"No! It's just that... I don't want you to go to jail because of me." I say, looking away, avoiding his piercing gaze. "And I kissed you because... I changed my mind. Sue me, okay?"

"Maybe I will," he said gruffly. "Why were you so against it in the first place? I'm curious."

"I have a lot of fears, okay? Fear of rejection, fear of attachment, fear of loss, fear of guys-"

"Fear of _guys_?" Natsu asked, not believing his ears. "Seriously, how badly did that asshat mess you up?"

"Very," I reply.

"So when we first met-"

"I was slightly afraid of you, yes." I say. "It's nothing you did, though- it's this weird thing I have, okay? Anyway, I didn't find you as scary as the other guys I've met. Plus, I appreciate the fact that you didn't immediately start groping me."

Natsu did a spit take, surprisingly, with just air. "You actually have that problem?"

"Yeah, when people recognize me on the street." I say. "I do a lot of my business in the shady part of town."

"Wow..." he said, trailing off. "Anyway, what made you change your mind about me?" he said seriously, gazing into my eyes. I look away.

"I decided to get over my fears." I say.

"See? I told you you were brave." Natsu said, smiling.

"Yeah, yeah..." I say, waving my hand.

"So..." Natsu trailed off. "What now?"

"I don't know, I've never done this before." I say.

"Well, how do you feel about me?" Natsu asked.

"How do I feel about you?" I say. I ponder what to say next. "Hmmmm..." I tap my finger against my chin, thinking hard.

"C'mon, Luce, I told you how I feel. Now, you tell me." Natsu insisted.

"Well, let's just say that I'm interested." I say, looking away. I've been looking away for quite a bit today. I start to hum quietly to myself.

"Oh really? How interested?" Natsu prodded.

"Very."

"Oh." he said, staring at me.

"You do know that you haven't blinked in the past five minutes, right? You're starting to freak me out a little." I say.

"Sorry about that," Natsu said, blinking. "It's just that... I can't stop staring at you. You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."

"Yeah, you've said that before." I say, giggling.

"So... What is this thing between us?" Natsu asked.

"I don't know, but I kinda like it." I say.

"Are we dating, or..." Natsu said, trailing off.

"Only if you actually ask me." I say, laughing. Natsu stares blankly at me.

"Ask you what?" Natsu said.

"Are you telling me that you, Natsu Dragneel, the man on the top ten of The Most Dateable Men in Magnolia, have never asked a girl out?" I say, guffawing.

"No, why?" Natsu said seriously.

"Really?" I ask.

"Really." he replied. "So, Luce. Will you go out with me?" he said shyly. It's amazing that a guy as attractive as him would be as scared as he is while asking someone out on the date. I mean, with a face and body like that, who would say no? Seriously.

"No."

"What?" Natsu said.

"Kidding." I laugh. I like messing with him. "Yes, I will go out with you."

"Sweet," Natsu said, pumping his fist in the air.

"But we're going to have to hide it from Simon- he has a no- dating policy out for me." I say.

"I don't care," Natsu said, leaning closer.

"It's going to be hard..." I say, inching closer.

"I doubt it," Natsu said, putting my face in between his hands, pulling me closer.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" I say, my lips inches away from his.

"More than anything in the world." Natsu says, before closing the gap between our lips. He kisses me tenderly. His lips are supple, and his mouth tastes fairly like barbeque. It's not half bad. He deepens the kiss, his tongue poking through my teeth, seeking entry. I open my mouth wider and let it in. Pretty soon, we're Frenching it up. He's still respectful, though, minding my boundaries. I'm thankful that he's not like the other guys I've kissed, who usually immediately shoved their tongues down my throat. I wrap my arms around him, and the next thing I know his hands are in my hair. He smells like the outdoors.

Today was a good day.

* * *

><p>AUTHOR'S NOTE- Sorry about the quality of this chapter, I'm not good with filler content and intimate scenes. I'm almost 15 and I've never been in a relationship, and I haven't ever even held hands with a guy, much less kiss one. I'd appreciate it if someone could help me with that. Also, I'm looking for a co-author and a beta reader. I'm willing to give you credit for everything you do. I need someone who can make my story more immersive, realistic, and believable. I also need help with all the kissing, the romance, and such. Feel free to add advice in a review, any help is appreciated. You can also make suggestions, and if it fits into my plans for the story, I may use it.<p>

Here's another playlist of songs that inspired this story:

The Fray- "Look After You"  
>-"Absolute<br>-"You Found Me"  
>-"She Is"<br>-"All At Once"


	12. An Unwanted Proposal

It's been 4 months, and Natsu and I have been on sixteen dates. We've had some time to talk about it, and I'm proud to say that Natsu is my boyfriend. Yeah, that's right. Boyfriend. I have a boyfriend. Oh my god, I have a boyfriend. I've never had a boyfriend- well, I once had a pretend one when I was eight, but that doesn't matter now. I'm with Natsu now. He promised to protect me, and he makes me feel all fuzzy inside. Now that we've put in the time and got to know each other, I can actually say that I know him.

What have I learned these past four months? Well, for starters, his hair is _naturally pink_. Huge surprise. My favorite color is pink, which is a plus. He's also a very silly guy- he goofs around a lot, and I'm surprised that he ever gets any work done. His favorite color is red (which is oh-so close to pink), he loves eating grill fires, he's eighteen years old, and he raised Happy with Lisanna like his own kid, which is adorable. He's a little brutally honest, to say the least. He's very blunt, and he's not very good at expressing romantic feelings. Yeah, I should know. He always gets flustered and embarrassed whenever it comes to confessing his feelings. I can tell that it's not easy for him, but he tries. I can't blame him, it's the exact same thing with me, Little Miss "Emotional Baggage."

What else have I learned? I'm the first girl he's ever liked. I find that hard to believe, because God knows that dozens of girls have been swooning over him. He's the most attractive guy I've ever met, and whenever we go out, I see plenty of girls eying him, and plenty of them glare at me with hatred. I've heard that Sorcerer Weekly prints tons of pictures of him, he's practically a model. He is aware of none of this.

While our relationship is great, we still have our issues. By issues, I don't mean fights. We've never fought over anything. It's just that… It's hard hiding our relationship from Simon, and I'm getting tired of it. I wish I could just run away with Natsu and get away from Simon, and get on with my life. But I can't ask Natsu to leave his entire life behind, and all of his friends. I also can't leave Levy- We've rekindled our friendship, and she is once again my best friend, besides Natsu. I can't leave Erza, Gray, Freed, and everyone else. I can probably leave Lisanna's model sister Mirajane, though. I mean, she's nice to me for the most part, but sometimes she's a little passive-aggressive towards me. I have no clue why. Natsu says she's always been a little unstable, but I'm not too sure. I guess I can't judge her, I mean, Natsu has known her for a lot longer. He says that she's like his big sister, and for that reason alone I respect her.

Natsu has been talking about saving up and buying my freedom. I know it's futile, but I appreciate the gesture. Simon thinks of me as a possession, and a very valuable, money-making one at that. He wouldn't give me away for anything- he also has some sort of sick obsession with me, a creepy infatuation. He beats me, then tells me it's because he loves me on a regular basis. I never show Natsu the scars and bruises because I'm afraid he's going to do something stupid and end up in prison. It's weird that prostitution is legal in Magnolia, and murder isn't. I guess it's not that weird, but that's just my opinion. I'm not saying that murder is good, I'm saying that prostitution could be just as bad- like in my situation, if you're forced to do it. Anyway, I don't want anything to happen to Natsu. I care deeply about him, he's done so much for me. He sacrifices his time and money just to make me happy. I know this is a little selfish, but I don't want anything to take him away from me, not when I finally have what I've been looking for my entire life. I could end up loving him, who knows. I already do, a little bit.

So, I'm sitting in my room on a Saturday evening. Natsu had just left, and I'm playing with a silver pocket watch that he gave me as a present, swinging it like a pendulum, trying to hypnotize myself. Needless to say, it doesn't work. I tell myself that this is because it's impossible and a load of rubbish, but deep down inside I feel it's because I'm either not doing it right or I'm not skilled enough. Probably a bit of both. My mother once said that anything is possible if you believe hard enough. I pegged that as a load of bullshit a few years ago. Sorry mother, but that isn't true. I can't wish my virginity back, and I can't bring my family back. I loved my mother, but my father was cold and distant, always concentrated on work. I never did find out what he did for a living, and for some reason, I never cared. I still don't. All I knew was that a bunch of scary-looking guys kept showing up at our house every few weeks as I was growing up. Father never let me go near them.

I hum to myself as the watch swung back and forth on that silver chain. Natsu knows that I prefer silver over gold. He made sure before buying me that pocket watch. He kept trying to say how symbolic it was, for our "timeless love", trying to be all cheesy and romantic and failing when I told him that it doesn't make sense because watches keep time, as time passes. I don't actually know, it got pretty confusing. I'm glad I'm not a time traveler, going around in a big blue box, because I would get hopelessly confused.

Suddenly, I hear Simon's voice calling me from across the hall. I don't want to answer, I just want to lay in bed.

"LUCY! Get your big ass over here." Simon yelled at me. I don't appreciate being yelled at, so I let out a _hmph_ before getting out of bed and go to Simon's room.

"Yes, you sexy tiger, you..." I say wearily. I don't like how he forces me to use pet names with him. It makes me really uncomfortable.

"Your birthday is coming up, yes?" Simon said.

"Yeah, that sounds about right…" I say, not liking where this is going.

"So, you're finally turning eighteen in a few days…" Simon said.

"Yeah, so?" I say reluctantly.

"And eighteen is the age you can legally get married, right?" Simon clarified.

"Oh my god…" I say, mortified.

"I'm glad you can see where this is going," Simon said. "Lucy, we've been together for a long time. I know we're very close, and we have great sex." Simon continued. "I feel like now is the time to make our relationship official." Official? _Relationship_? Oh god, no. Please no, god. Oh please god no.

"Lucy, will you marry me?"

* * *

><p>CAUTION: This next part has inappropriate themes an e. It's not detailed or extreme, but I just wanted to warn you. It's nothing, but I just wanted to be safe. You don't need to read this part in order to understand the story.<p>

* * *

><p>"Oh, Simon, I-" I say, but I get cut off.<p>

"Don't bother saying anything, I know your answer is yes. Even if you did say no, I'd have to kill you." Simon said, chuckling. This guy is one sick bastard.

"But-" I say, only to be cut off again.

"I know, I know, you think that you're too young or it's too soon, but I just think now is the right time. Now, I can finally make you mine." Simon said huskily, moving closer. I back away, only for him to continue invading my space. He grabs my hips, pulling me closer. I strain my neck backwards, trying to get away.

"Now, now Lucy. Don't be shy- we're practically husband and wife." he chuckled huskily, reaching for my panties.

"No, Simon-stop. I don't want to do this," I say, as he pulls my panties down. He reaches for my bra next. I slap his hand away, punching him and stumbling several feet back.

"Look here, stupid bitch-we're getting married whether you like it or not." Simon growled, pinning me against the wall, naked. I whimper in fear. With one hand, he pinned my hands above my head. With the other, he unzips his pants and pulls them down. "And tonight, I'm going to make you mine."

He forcefully grabs me, and flings me painfully onto his bed. He gets on top of me, kissing me roughly on the lips. He tastes awful, and he reeks of alcohol. "Now, let's see what this feels like without a condom."

I guess you can guess what happened next. It was by far, the worst night of my life.

* * *

><p>AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'd like to thank Leonis Serviert for giving me some ideas for the plotline, and for giving me input on the plot line I've planned out. Check out their stories- they aren't half bad.<p>

Sorry if this chapter is too dark for you guys, though. I'm trying everything to make this as dramatic as possible lol.

Did anyone see the Doctor Who reference? I love that show.

Also, I'm thing of doing a question and answer thing on my profile, and if you want to get to know me, feel free to pm me a question and I might answer on my profile.

Has anyone else seen the Spongebob Movie? I saw it yesterday, and it was hilarious. I know I'm almost 15, but I have always believed that the day you completely grow up is the day that fun dies. Stay young on the inside, guys. It's fine if you're 53 and you still love the things from your childhood.

Anyway, thanks for reading my story! I appreciate all of the support you guys have given me, and it inspires me to do my best in everything. I never thought this story would break 20 followers, so all of this is really a huge surprise for me.

If you guys have any questions or suggestions, feel free to pm me. Unless I'm at school or asleep, I'll probably answer as soon as possible.


	13. Guilty Pleasures

I sigh, twirling my blonde locks between my fingers, not knowing what to say. It has been three days after Simon had 'proposed' to me. That night was the worst, most uncomfortable night of my life. They say that sex is great when it's with someone you love and care about, and I definitely do not love or care about Simon. I don't even know his last name, only his one-word alias. Simon.

"C'mon, Luce, what's wrong? I know something's bothering you, you might as well tell me." Natsu said, cocking his head. "You know you can tell me anything, baby."

"I don't really want to talk about it," I say. It still hurts to talk about it, especially between the legs. He made my knees weak, and not in a good way. I feel violated.

"Luce, can you _please_ tell me what's bothering you? I hate it when I see you this miserable." Natsu said tenderly. I want anything to take my mind off the pain in my heart and in between my legs. _Anything_. Suddenly, I swing around to look at Natsu. For the past five years, I've been forced to have sex with guys I don't know, guys I don't care about, and it never felt right. It makes me wonder- what if I did it with someone I _did _care about? I shyly glance at Natsu, and his exposed chest. I still don't know why he insists on only wearing a vest as a top.

I look at Natsu again. I care about him. He's attractive- and it feels… _right_.

_No, no._ I think. _That would be wrong. You're in pain, your vulnerable- plus, you would be using him_. Part of me says. _But would that really be a bad thing?_ Another part of me says. I can't sleep with Natsu just to comfort myself. I'm not the kind of person to use someone for sex- but the pain is getting to be too much to handle. I need a release, a big one. No- it would be wrong. Just plain wrong. But after all I've been through, don't I deserve just a little happiness? Just a teensy bit of guilty pleasure?

"Luce, are you okay? You haven't blinked in five minutes, and you've been staring at my face pretty intensely." Natsu asked, concerned.

"I-I'm fine." I say nervously, making up my mind. "Natsu?"

"Yeah, Luce?" Natsu said.

"You're a virgin, right?" I ask timidly.

"Yeah, so?" Natsu said, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion.

"….Would you like to change that?" I say, blushing very intensely. This is it.

"Excuse me?" Natsu said, arms crossed, raising his eyebrows in surprise. "What?"

"Come on, Natsu. You know you understand me." I say.

"I know, I'm just- what? I thought you were against all of that shit, considering your past." Natsu said.

"Natsu, do you want to do it or not?" I say, getting frustrated.

"Uh, sure, I guess, but… are you sure you're ready for that?" Natsu said. "I don't want to take advantage of you."

"Natsu, of course I'm sure. I'm more than sure. I _want _this. You wouldn't be taking advantage of me, I promise." I say.

"Uh, okay. Just one question." Natsu said.

"Sure, what is it?" I say.

"…How does It work?" Natsu asked awkwardly.

"Just follow my lead, and instinct will take care of the rest." I say, grabbing his arm and dragging him into my bed. I pull him into a long, deep kiss.

"Okay…" Natsu said, smiling. "Just so you know, before we do this…"

"Yeah, Natsu?" I ask.

"I love you."

* * *

><p>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<p>

Hey guys! Sorry this chapter is short and kinda crappy, I'm just not that good with this kind of thing. It all ties into the plot, though, so I had to do it. Sorry.

Hope you guys had a happy Valentine's Day! I know I didn't. Just a reminder of how alone I am lol. I know what you're thinking- Why is this single person who's never been on a date writing a romance story? Well, I dunno either. I'm just inspired. I was in love one, though. Kiddy stuff. Not that big a deal, actually.

Anyway, thanks for reading! And I DO NOT own anything in this story except the plot and Simon. Damn you, Simon. I have a friend named Saimon, but he's much nicer than you.


	14. The Proposal

I yawn, stretching my arms to the side. My arm bumps into Natsu's side, who is sleeping next to me. I can hear his every breath, and I'm curled up into his wingspan. He's really warm, like a furnace. I remove my blanket, because it's getting really hot underneath it. Natsu begins to stir.

"Mrgh," he groans. His eyes blearily open, and he sits up. "Ugh, I'm so tired…." He says.

"Yeah, I would imagine." I say. After what happened last night, I feel a lot better. A LOT better, although it kind of aches between the legs. I never expected Natsu to be _that_ good, because that was his first time. I mean, he didn't even know what he was doing. He lasted forty-five minutes. On average, Simon lasted fifteen. I realize this may be weirding you out, so I'll just stop talking about it.

"That. Was. Amazing." Natsu said, looking deep into my hazel eyes. His eyes are like charcoal.

"I know…" I say, giggling. "Are you _sure_ that was your first time?" I ask, disbelievingly.

"Yeah. Did I do it right?" Natsu asked.

"Did you do it right? Natsu, that was the _best_ I've ever had. And I've slept with plenty of guys." I say, giggling.

"Well thanks," Natsu said, blushing. He grinned goofily. "So, what do you want to do now?"

Before I can answer, Simon knocks on the door. I untangle myself from Natsu, and we both rush to put our clothes on.

"Wait, something isn't right…" I say. We look down, and see that we've switched clothes. Natsu is in a bra and a bikini, and I'm wearing baggy pants and a vest. "Say, Natsu, you look really sexy in my underwear." I say, unable to contain my laughter.

"Wha-? Oh, shit." Natsu said, facepalming. Before we can do anything about it, Simon opens the door. I shriek, covering my breasts, and Natsu freezes like the North Pole.

"Uh…." Simon says, raising his eyebrows. "Is this a bad time, Lucy? I mean, I knew you were kinky, but this is just _weird._"

"What? NO! I mean, yes, this is a bad time, and _no_, I am _not_ kinky!" I shriek, arms wrapped around my chest.

"Okay, okay. I just wanted to ask Natsu if he can make it to our wedding." Simon sneered, leering at my chest.

"Wait, woah, woah… _marriage?!"_ Natsu said, ending in a yell. "What the fuck, Lucy? Is that what's been bothering you?!" I shyly nod.

"Natsu, please don't get mad at me- I didn't want you to freak out and end up in prison for killing Simon or something, so I didn't tell you…" I say.

"Mad at you? Of course not!" Natsu snorted. "I'm mad at _him_, for thinking he'll ever have the right to marry you."

"Are you daft? I'm going to marry Lucy whether you like it or not. And please, switch clothes back. It's unnerving." Simon said, averting his eyes. Natsu and I hurriedly switch clothes.

"You must be an idiot. You're not marrying Lucy. _I am,_ at least, one day. You? Not a chance." Natsu said.

"Natsu-" I say.

"What? What's wrong with marrying the woman I love?!" Natsu yelled at Simon. "I love Lucy, and you don't! You beat her, threaten her, and treat her like property! You're nothing but a piece of shit."

"Natsu, you don't have to-"

"Lucy, let me finish." Natsu growled, turning his head to face me. "Listen, you piece of shit. I'd rather die than let you lay a finger on Lucy."

"A bit too late for that, my friend." Simon snickered. "I made Lucy mine in bed long before you came along, and again right before you two did it."

"Seriously? That's fucking sick, dude." Natsu said. He shook his head. "No, that doesn't mean she's yours. I won't let you. Why don't you let Lucy pick, for a change?"

"No." Simon growled.

"Why, because you're afraid she's going to pick me?" Natsu taunted.

"She is my only source of income, if you were to take her, I'd need compensation." Simon said.

"Why not let her go? She's been more than faithful for five years. She's had enough of you."

"Again, I would consider giving her away, in exchange for monetary compensation." Simon said.

"Nice to see you're as greedy as ever, you sick fuck." Natsu snorted. "How much are we talking?"

"Natsu, you don't have to waste all of your money on me." I say reluctantly.

"Shut it, Lucy. I'm doing this for you, okay? Just accept that." Natsu said. "Now, how much do you want?"

"750,000 jewel." Simon sneered. I choke on my own spit. That's a lot of money.

"Done." Natsu said. I choke on my own spit again.

"Wha-? Natsu, where did you get the money?" I ask, shocked.

"I talked to the guys at the guild- we all raised money to buy your freedom. Everyone chipped in, out of their own pockets. You're family, Luce. We protect our family." Natsu said, holding my hands in his. A tear runs down my face, and Natsu kisses it away.

"Natsu, I think that I-"

"So, bitchface, do we have a deal?" Natsu asked Simon.

"Deal. Let's shake on it." Simon said, smiling greedily.

"No way am I touching your hand, who knows where it's been." Natsu said, cringing.

"Fair enough," Simon said. "I will accept the payment now."

"Fine." Natsu said, handing Simon a sack of jewel. He counts up the contents, and smiles.

"Well, it was nice doing business with you, Natsu Dragneel. I do hope you invite me to your wedding, _Mrs. Dragneel._" Simon said.

"Don't count on it," Natsu said, heading for the door. "Come on, Lucy, let's get out of here."

* * *

><p>Half an hour later, we're standing in front of the guild hall.<p>

"Lucy, can I ask you something?" Natsu asked.

"Sure, anything." I say, smiling. "I can't believe you finally got me free of that freak."

"Why didn't you tell me you were engaged to Simon?" Natsu said, frowning. "I mean, that was kinda big- and kinda important."

"I'm sorry, Natsu, it's just that, I didn't know how you'd react. For all I knew, you could've tried to kill him or something, and I don't want you to go to prison." I say truthfully, rubbing my arm in embarrassment.

"But I didn't, did I?" Natsu said, frustrated.

"I know, and I'm sorry." I say sincerely.

"After all we've been through, why can't you trust me?" Natsu asked.

"It's not you, it's me, Natsu." I say. "I just got worried for your well-being."

"I can take care of myself, Luce." Natsu said seriously.

"I know, Natsu. Please don't make me feel worse about this, I feel terrible." I say, trembling. My eyes begin to water.

"Luce? Are you okay, are you crying?" Natsu said, concern leaking into his voice.

"I-I just don't want to see you get hurt for me…" I say, sobbing. "I don't want you to be taken away from me when I've just found you,"

"Luce…" Natsu said, trailing off.

"What do you want me to say, Natsu?!" I yell.

"Luce, calm down…" Natsu said reassuringly.

"No, really, what do you want me to say, that I love you?!" I yell, breaking down.

We both stand in silence, my words echoing through the air. Tears are streaming down my face as I look into his eyes, pleading.

"Did you just say… that you love me?" Natsu said.

"Natsu…" I say, trailing off.

"I'll say it again- did you just say that you _love me?_" Natsu said.

"So what if I did?" I say with a sniffle.

"Luce, i… I love you too." Natsu said, taking my hands in his. He pulls me in to a kiss on the lips, hugging me. I kiss him back, passionately. After a few minutes, we pull away.

"Isn't it great that we don't have to hide our relationship from anyone anymore?" I say, smiling, my eyes still watering.

"Yeah, it is." Natsu said, smiling, gently brushing a strand of hair from my face.

"I have one question, though." I say shyly.

"Sure, what is it, Luce?" Natsu asked.

"Were you serious about marrying me? That's kind of a big thing, Natsu. I'm not even eighteen yet." I say, stroking his face gently.

"Of course I was, why wouldn't I be?" Natsu said, chuckling.

"But I'm still under aged, Natsu. We can't legally get married anyway, at least until I turn eighteen. Plus, we've known each other for less than a year, don't you think it's too soon?"

"Look," Natsu began seriously. "All I know is that I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my god-damned life with you. I never want to let you go." He finished. "I'll wait for you, no matter what it takes. I don't care that you used to be a prostitute, I don't care what people will think."

"Natsu…" I say.

"So, Lucy Heartfilia." Natsu said.

"Natsu," I say, not sure if I'm liking where this is going.

Natsu got down on one knee. "Lucy, will you marry me? You know, once you turn eighteen?" Natsu said. "I know this is sudden, and I don't actually have a ring to give you yet, but please, Lucy. I feel like I-I feel like I can't live the rest of my life without you." I let silence fill the room for a few seconds before answering.

My brain is telling me that this is a bad idea, and that no good could ever come out of this, and parts of my heart say things like it's too soon, I'm not ready, and I'm too young, but some part of me, I don't know which one, tells me that I want this. I _need _this. After a few seconds of inner turmoil, I finally make up my mind.

"Yes."


End file.
